Former top 20 player Bernard Tomic admits that he isn’t the brightest player on the ATP Tour, but few can doubt the potential he has.
The former Wimbledon quarter-finalist has endured a testing year on the tour after been troubled by a series of injuries. After being hampered by a wrist injury in the first half of 2016, Tomic was forced to end his season prematurely due to an abdominal problem. As a consequence of his latest issue, the Australian has reduced his off-season training schedule.
Injury isn’t the only thing that has marred Tomic’s season. Similar to compatriot Nick Kyrgios, the 24-year-old has endured his fair share of controversy. At this year’s Madrid Open he was accused of tanking against Italy’s Fabio Fognini. Then at the US Open he was fined $10,000 by the International Tennis Federation for engaging in a verbal conflict with a member of the crowd.
“That situation, those few weeks where I missed the Olympics was unfortunate, and the US thing was a bit of an incident, but we’ve moved on from that,’’ said Tomic.
“I’m not the best, not the brightest, but we all have our problems.
“I think the main thing is I’m doing what I love and I really respect the sport.’’
Tomic also has his own theory about Kyrgios’ controversial season, which was ended early after he was handed a suspension by the ATP for his unsportsmanlike conduct at the Shanghai Masters. The world No.26 believes that both he and Kyrgios are ‘misunderstood’ by the media.
“Absolutely. They misunderstand us,” he said.
“We are young, we are successful. But it turns into a bit of negative energy when we do things wrong.
“I think sometimes we do push it more than we should. But that is our personality, our character.
“No one is perfect, but I think we are doing a pretty good job.”
Early this year Tomic made similar comments during the Aegon Championships in London, where he reached the semifinals. Firmly dismissing allegations of tanking, the Australian believes that the public ‘mistakes’ him.
Both Tomic and Kyrgios are without a full time coach. It is a usual situation for players at the top of the men’s game, but Tomic has praised his compatriots achievements. This season Kyrgios has won three titles in Tokyo, Marseille and Atlanta.
“We are very different, we are very interesting,” Tomic said. “He (Kyrgios) doesn’t have a coach and he’s 13 in the world so he’s doing a great job. Obviously you need a mentor, but at the end of the day it is all about us and how hard we want to work.
“That will determine whether we will be top players or just good players.”
Set to kick-off his 2017 campaign at the Brisbane International, Tomic is eager to move on from his previous controversies. Peaking at a ranking high of 17th in January, the 24-year-old is hoping to break the top 10 in the new year.
“So I think this year if I do the right training — I still have got four weeks to go — I can get into the right shape to be ready for that event.” The world No.26 said.
“I’d like to reach that top 10 mark,” he added.
The Brisbane International will start on January 1st. Tomic is a two-time semifinalist at the event (2012 and 2016).
