Australian world No.59 Bernard Tomic has been condemned by two former Wimbledon champions for remarks he made after his first round loss.
Tomic crashed out of SW19 on Tuesday after a straight sets loss to Germany’s Mischa Zverev. It is the tenth tournament this season where the Australian has lost in the opening round. Reflecting upon his latest defeat at Wimbledon, Tomic admitted that he felt ‘bored’ during the match as he struggles with the mental side of his game.
“To me, this is one of the biggest tournaments in the world that I have done really well in my career and, yeah, I just couldn’t find anything,” he said.
“You know I wasn’t mentally and physically there, with my mental state to perform and I don’t know why.
“But I felt a little bit bored out there to be completely honest with you. You know, I tried at the end and he managed to win that set 6-3 or 6-4, but it was too late.”
The 24-year-old refused to hold back about how he was really feeling on the tour this year. Declaring that he is no longer satisfied about ‘holding a trophy,’ Tomic sparked further criticism when he said he did not care how he performs in a grand slam event.
“I couldn’t care less if I make a fourth-round US Open or I lose first round. To me, everything is the same. You know, I’m going to play another 10 years, and I know after my career, I won’t have to work again.”
A former teenage prodigy of Australian tennis, Tomic admits that his time spent on the tour is taking its toll on him. At the age of 17 he reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon in what is still his best grand slam performance to date. Since then, he had broken the world’s top-20 and won three ATP titles.
“This is my 8th Wimbledon or 9th I think. I’m still 24, and it’s tough to find motivation, you know. Really, me being out there on the court, to be honest with you, I just couldn’t find any motivation.” He said.
‘Ex-Aussies are cringing’
1987 Wimbledon champion Pat Cash has since blasted Tomic for his remarks. Earlier this year, he said the world No.59 ‘has the talent to be a top-5 player.’ Cash’s favourable opinion of Tomic has since changed following the outburst.
“I don’t think Bernie by a long shot represents Australian players. He’s going to have to do a lot worse than that to ruin the image we’ve created,” Cash said on the BBC.
“But a lot of ex-Aussies are cringing, especially guys who started this pro circuit.”
Another fierce critic is 18-time grand slam champion Martina Navratilova. Speaking on the same BBC programme as Cash, she suggested that Tomic should quit the sport if he can’t get motivated.
“It’s disrespectful to the sport, it’s disrespectful to the history of the sport,” she said.
“If you can’t get motivated at Wimbledon it’s time to find another job.
“Most of all, the spectators .. some of these people probably work in a factory. They pay good money to come here and watch Wimbledon and the guy shows up and doesn’t really try and can’t even be bothered. Just stay home.”
Tomic exits this year’s Wimbledon championships with £35,000 in prize money.
A clip of Tomic’s press conference
“I felt bored.”
This turns a little bit awkward from Bernard Tomic… #wimbledon pic.twitter.com/7Mn2XEOdZd
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) 4 July 2017
