Gold Coast tennis star Bernard Tomic's exclusive tell-all interview, shows dedication on Instagram
Resurgent Gold Coast tennis pro Bernard Tomic has spilt the beans on how he saw in 2022.
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Resurgent Gold Coast tennis player Bernard Tomic has continued his comeback mantra with a training session on New Year’s Eve and some inspiring words for his fans.
In a recent tell-all interview with the Bulletin, Tomic had said he was back training, admitting it was his last chance to salvage his career with four to five years left.
The ex-world number 17 – who now languishes at 254 – so far appears to be backing it up with action, showing his now 11k Instagram followers a New Year’s Eve training session.
A post showed Tomic hugging his racket on court with the caption: “Don’t decrease the goal, increase the effort”.
His Instagram story showed him training with messages saying: “No partying or fun for me today. This is what it takes. You need to sacrifice a lot to succeed.
“It’s hard during these holidays to stay strong but you know it will all pay off.”
Another said: “New Year. New Start. Wishing everyone a successful and safe new year.
“Set goals. Break boundaries. Be the best version of you.”
SO MANY REGRETS: TOMIC BARES ALL IN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
December 10, 2021
Regrets – Gold Coast former tennis prodigy Bernard Tomic has a fair few.
The 29-year-old who once sarcastically dismissed reporters after an Australian Open qualifying loss by saying he was off to “count (his) millions” reflects to the Bulletin this week: “There are so many things I should not have said, should not have done. But I did.”
The one-time world number 17 whose ranking now languishes at 254 tells the Bulletin he is back training, admitting it’s his last chance to salvage his career.
He acknowledges he all but checked out from the pro tour in the past two years, despite qualifying for the Australian Open and winning a round back in January.
After that he played just seven tournaments: “The last couple of years, I just didn’t know where I was at.”
Sitting relaxed in a T-shirt at a Main Beach restaurant on the Gold Coast, he reveals – in what he says is his first interview in two years – that:
– he was close to quitting tennis for good a year ago;
– he rediscovered his “fire” after surprising himself by winning three qualifying rounds to get into the 2021 Australian Open and wants to play five more years and finish on a high note;
– he regrets a lot of “dumb s***” he said to the media including the infamous gloat that all he did was “count my millions”;
– he plans to document his tennis “comeback” on Instagram.
Tomic said winning three qualifying matches and his first round at the 2021 Australian Open had surprised him and reignited his desire to play.
He admits he was “smoked” in the second round by then world number 12 Denis Shapovalov: “He taught me a lesson – what I was doing to all these players four or five years ago.
“I was probably ready to stop (before that). I don’t need money any more. But I started winning matches. I got a bit of fire going into me”.
He will try to qualify again for next month’s Australian Open but doesn’t have high expectations.
He’s recovering from a finger ligament injury and has given himself a five-week preparation. He said regaining top-level form would take months of hard work.
But Tomic, once tipped for greatness, has hired a fitness trainer, is running and regularly hitting balls at a private court on the Gold Coast.
You can follow his progress online – the previously anti-social media Tomic has fired up an Instagram account where he intends to post about his “comeback”. His most recent post reads: “The comeback is always stronger than the setback”.
In an accompany video featuring Eminem’s Lose Yourself, he says: “When I was 12, I was training, working hard, I wasn’t partying, I wasn’t doing any of that crap.”
It ends with Tomic – who has amassed almost $9m in prizemoney – saying: “The only person who gets in your way is you.”
Tennis commentators have written him off, but he said: “I’m feeling good. I’m going to try and turn this around and give myself the best chance in the next couple of years. I’ve got one more chance at this. I’ll try and do it for myself.”
Tomic, who at 18 was the youngest Wimbledon quarterfinalist since the legendary Boris Becker in 1986, infamously declared after a first round exit in 2017 he was “bored out there”.
At the time, tennis legend Martina Navratilova said if he couldn’t get motivated for Wimbledon “it’s time to find another job”.
Now he says he’s “bored” of life without the tennis tour: “I stopped playing two-and-a-half years ago. I went ‘I’m over it’. I had outside distractions. But I’m kind of bored of that too now to be honest.
“I had too much success at a young age. Everything got to me. The travel, day in, day out tournaments. By age 25 I was tired and starting saying dumb s*** in the media.
“The past couple of years have been my choice. But now it’s all about getting it right and having a good crack at the next five or six years and trying to get back to the top – I miss that sort of feeling.”
Asked about his goals, he believes he can crack the top 10 but admitted it would take at least “two to three years”: “One of my goals is to finish off right. And retire happy. So we’ll see.”
His last professional tennis match was a loss due to retirement to the world number 145 in Kazakhstan in September.
In an extended interview, Gold Coast tennis star Bernard Tomic talks returning to the pro tour for one last crack at resurrecting his ailing career.
Q&A
GOLD COAST BULLETIN: I haven’t heard a thing about you for months. What have you been doing?
BERNARD TOMIC: I injured myself (tore playing hand finger ligaments) June. I had to come back to Australia. I was in Istanbul. I have an apartment there and in Monaco. I was really stuck. I couldn’t freaking come back. There were no flights. Everything was shut off in July with the flights. It was a mess. Thanks to Tennis Australia, there was a charter flight that left in September. Nick (Kyrgios) was on that. Cost a fortune. Did two-week quarantine in Adelaide.
GCB: You’ve been playing tennis sporadically of late – happy going about your business like that rather than committing full time?
BT: Well to be honest man, the last couple of years, I just didn’t know where I was at.
GCB: You’re entering the upcoming Australian Open qualifying event?
BT: Anything is possible. Some of my best tennis has been played through qualies. When I made the quarters of a slam, it was from qualies. I’ve won titles from qualies.
GCB: To be fair at those times you were training your butt off?
BT: Of course, you can’t compete against these guys (if not). It’s not like you’re going to qualify and win the Australian Open. But I don’t expect too much. I didn’t expect too much last year. I wasn’t ready, didn’t touch a racquet for seven months and won four matches at slam level. We’ll see. Let’s see how the finger plays up.
GCB: You tore ligaments earlier this year?
BT: It’s not too bad. I’m going to hit a lot more balls the next couple of weeks. So it could change.
GCB: I’m trying to get a sense of where your head is at. Having an honest crack at the pro tour again?
BT: I would like to do well. I’m nowhere near my best. That takes months and months to get back to that form. The only reason I’m (playing the Open qualifying) is it’s in Australia. If it was in Doha (again) I wouldn’t have gone. We have four and a half weeks. I’ll give it my best shot.
GCB: Goals with the final couple of years you have in your career?
BT: Guys are aged 40, 38, and in the top 50, top 100, top 30. I don’t want to play pro tennis until I’m 38. It’s not something I strive for. I’m good at it. But I don’t see myself playing then. At least the next half decade I do. That’s why I better have one more good crack at it, turn it around, do the right thing then retire happy.
GCB: Do you need the money? Is that part of the motivation for having a final tour crack?
BT: No. It was never about the money. I stopped caring about that ages ago. I could stop now and be happy, I’ve got a good base. But I don’t want too. I mean, what else am I going to do? I’m still 29. I might as well.
GCB: Are there things you want to prove to yourself, the public – unfinished business?
BT: I finished at my best ranked 17. I could have been top five. Competing for grand slams. But that’s a whole new level. I have one more shot to try. I reckon a half decade or so. I’m not the same as I was when I was 18, 20 years old. Time changes people. I’m a bit older. A bit wiser. I’m not that stupid little kid anymore.
GCB: Do you remember five years ago when you held your racquet backwards on a match point to receive serve – and told the Bulletin: “I don’t care about that match point – would you care if you were 23 and worth over $10 million.” Thoughts on that now?
BT: The way you say it is hilarious for sure. But it’s not good to say that stuff. It doesn’t sound right. It’s a kid’s sort of brain. When I think about it now, it’s like why did I say that? That wasn’t the right thing to say. There is so much I regret, things that I shouldn’t have said.
GCB: And the “counting my millions” line after you lost at the Australian Open in 2018?
BT: I’d just lost and the media were like what are you up to now, where are you off to – and I’m like ‘I’m off to the locker room, what do you mean’. I said the wrong thing for sure. That’s something a kid would say.
GCB: Everyone loves a comeback – we all fall apart a bit here and there eh?
BT: We all do. It’s just who realises that quicker than others. I feel like it’s more for myself now to do it right, finish on a good note.
GCB: You want to depart your tennis career on a good note?
BT: Absolutely. 100 per cent. And I miss the moments as well. The last couple of years I didn’t sort of care. But now I care a little bit more.
GCB: The moments?
BT: The moments of the pressure. Playing these top guys. Winning, losing, that feeling. You miss that sort of stuff. The crowd. When the whole audience gets behind you, you miss that. I’ve done that seven, nine years. I wasn’t really too focused the last couple of years. Lot of outside stuff and issues. I wasn’t really mentally there. As opposed to now I’ve realised, you know what, knuckle down, do the right thing, stay healthy and give tennis one more shot – the right way, you know. The past couple of years have been my choice. I’ve been a bit injured, sure. But now it’s all about getting it right, having a good crack the next five or six years and getting back to the top. I miss that feeling.
GCB: What caused you to almost ditch your tennis career?
BT: Not wanting to do it y’know. I had sort of outside distractions in life. But I’m kind of bored of that too now to be honest.
GCB: When you say bored with it, with what? Just being a guy in his mid 20s and mucking around, going out?
BT: Exactly. (But) the whole point about the tennis tour is it’s so lonely. And I was so successful at a young age. I was top 50 and I was 18 years old. All the travel got to me. I was travelling from the age of 10. All these guys in Europe … they come to Australia once a year. I was 10 years old, in Australia, having to go to the US and back. Australia was such a grind. Having to travel everywhere and then back, back, back.
GCB: What will it take for you to feel good about hanging up the racquet?
BT: I have a goal. For sure one is to get top 10. When I got to 17 in the world, I was a couple of points away from finishing 12. That was really at 60 per cent effort. I reckon I can get into top 10. One of my goals is to finish it off right. I reckon it can be done in two or three years. And sort of retire happy, so we’ll see.
GCB: What’s with firing up the Instagram account?
BT: Showcase the last crack. Try and make Australia proud. I’ve never really used social media. It’s a good thing. I’m happy I got into it.
GCB: And your relationship with Instagrammer Vanessa Sierra – that’s over?
BT: It was actually very good for me at the start. Everything felt right until the s--- started to hit the fan. It was not meant to be.
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