Controversy-stricken Bernard Tomic has attributed the run to his second consecutive grass-court quarter-final to the handy work of Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt.
2011 Wimbledon quarter-finalist Tomic defeated former top-10 players Kevin Anderson and Fernando Verdasco to book his place in the last eight at the Aegon Championships. The recent triumphs follows his run at last week’s Ricoh Open, where he was defeated by eventual champion Nicolas Mahut. It is the first time that the Australian has reached back-to-back quarter-finals on the tour since January.
The run is certainly a welcome upsurge for Tomic, who was accused of tanking during the Madrid Open last month. Unlike his questionable mentality during the clay-court season, the 23-year-old now seems once again relaxed on the court. Discussing the reason behind his more focused approach to the sport, the world No.22 has said his work with former world No.1 Hewitt has had a big impact on him.
“Having Lleyton on the side, it encourages me so much to compete at every point.” Tomic said.
“One of my biggest problems in the past has been maintaining that concentration and fighting for every point.”
The Hewitt-effect is certainly one of the most positive factors for Australian tennis this year. Tomic and fellow compatriot Nick Kyrgios are headline makers, but for all the wrong reasons with their temperamental personalities. It has lead to them both being handed the ‘bad-boy’ title in tennis.
Whilst the questionable behaviour is certainly fitting for A-listed celebrities in Hollywood, the same can’t be said in the world of sports. The thing is, Tomic doesn’t see himself as this ‘bad boy’ villain, instead he believes that people don’t understand him.
“I think people sometimes mistake me, they accuse me of tanking. Sometimes that’s the way I sort of come back into the match. I seem like I’m not there, but I really am.” Tomic explained.
“I think people misunderstand me.”
Despite his far from perfect media image, the world No.22 enters his next match against Gilles Muller at the Aegon Championships full of confidence with his game.
“It’s going to be a very tough next match, but whatever happens, I have gained a lot of confidence the past few weeks on the grass,” he said.
“Here I can only go forward and try to go for it and I’ve got nothing to lose.”
Things are once again glorious in the ever-changing world of Bernard Tomic. Guided by one of his sporting inspirations, Hewitt, he is destined to once again be a dangerous threat to everybody at Wimbledon. The problem for Tomic now isn’t his ability. It is if he can control that at-times fragile personality of his. Once he accomplishes this, the sky’s the limit for the animated Australian.
