Bernard Tomic should take a break from tennis to evaluate his future in the sport, according to seven-time grand slam champion John Newcombe.
The 25-year-old has finished 2017 ranked 142nd in the world following a lacklustre season on the tour. Overall, he has only managed to win 11 out of 31 main draw matches played this season. Winning only three matches on the tour since July.
At the Wimbledon championships Tomic came under heavy criticism following his comments made during a press conference. After losing to Mischa Zverev in the first round, the Australian said he felt ‘bored’ during the match. He also admitted that he called for a trainer to disrupt his opponent’s momentum and wasn’t injured. Tomic was lated fined £11,000 for the comments and lost a deal with racket sponsor Head.
Weighing in on the below-par season, Newcombe believes that there is still hope for Tomic. Who is a former Wimbledon quarter-finalist and has been ranked as high as 17th in the world. Tomic had previously been offered support by Tennis Australian, but it is unclear if he accepted the offer.
“I think Bernie needs to step away from the game for three or four months and really think about: is this (tennis) what he wants to do?” Newcombe told Fox Sports Australia.
“And if this is what he wants to do, then he needs to find the best trainer he can find and get himself properly fit.
“It’s not too late but unless he gets himself fit, it’s never going to happen. It’s that simple.”
As a result of his lull in form, Tomic now faces the possibility of missing out on a place at the Australian Open in January. Last week, officials ruled out giving him a wildcard into the tournament. Instead, he has been invited to play in a 16-player wildcard playoff tournament next month.
Lleyton Hewitt, who is the current Australian Davis Cup captain, said during an interviewe with The Herald Sun that the world No.142 will not be granted any more tournament passes until he shows more commitment to the sport.
“He’s had a tough year and he needs matches and he’s got to put himself out there on the line to have a crack at making the Open.” Said Hewitt.
“We all know the kind of tennis he can play but he has to get back to that level and he also needs to commit to the sport as well and we won’t be making any more wildcard decisions until we see what happens in the playoffs.”
According to Fox Sports, Tomic is currently training in Queensland with his father John. There has been no formal comment from him about if he will play in next month’s playoff tournament
