Pat Cash says it’s ‘sad’ talented Bernard Tomic doesn’t have drive to succeed after Aus Open flop

UPDATE: Tennis greats, including Pat Cash, have hit out at Bernard Tomic not only after his Australian Open hopes went up in flames but after the polarising Aussie’s post-match comments.

Bernie Tomic returns serve during his clash with Italian Lorenzo Sonego at Melbourne Park. Picture: Getty Images

BERNARD Tomic has “done nothing” in his career, Australian tennis great Pat Cash has declared.

Tomic crashed out of Australian Open qualifying yesterday amid reports he could be headed for a Channel 10 reality show.

And Cash labelled the situation “sad”.

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“It’s a situation where (it was) too much too early as a young player,” he said.

“Let’s face it - I talked to Martina Navratilova at Wimbledon and we did an interview together. And she goes ‘what’s he done? What’s he ever done?’. And I was like ‘well, he’s gotten to one quarter-final at Wimbledon’.

“She just rolled her eyes and said ‘oh my God’ he’s done nothing.’

“He really has done nothing in his career. That’s true, and that’s kind of sad in a way.”

Pat Cash says Bernard Tomic’s situation is “sad”.

At Wimbledon last year, tennis great Navratilova said of Tomic: “It’s disrespectful to the sport and disrespectful to the history of the sport. If you can’t get motivated at Wimbledon it’s time to find another job.”

Cash - who won Wimbledon in 1987 and made the Australian Open final that same year, then again in 1988 - said Tomic has the talent, but needs to address the mental side of his game.

“He’s had a pretty privileged life, but that’s just the way it is,” he said on 3AW.

“We reward people with special talents and there’s no doubt that Bernie has got special talent. It’s not necessarily us, but the sponsors and the tennis world like to see talented tennis players. It’s a mental thing, obviously, with him and his motivation.”

Cash’s comments came after Tomic followed his traumatic Australian Open qualifying defeat by again boasting about his wealth.

“All I do is count my millions, you try doing what I do,” Tomic said after fading to Melbourne Park defeat against unheralded Italian Lorenzo Sonego.

Ranked 218th in the world, Sonego inflicted Tomic’s latest tennis ignominy with a 6-1 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 third-round victory.

What’s next for Bernard Tomic? The jungle? Picture: AAP

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Sonego will contest the first grand slam main draw match of his career, leaving Tomic to contemplate an uncertain future.

Tomic’s comments about money are an echo of his post-Wimbledon boasts last year, when he said: “You probably don’t like me but, at only 24, you guys can only dream about having what I have.

“End of the day, don’t like me or whatever. Just go back dreaming about your dream car or house while I go buy them.”

Winless at grand slam level since last year’s Australian Open, Tomic picked up $30,000 for the Sonego loss.

But his lack of fitness was again a factor against an opponent the former world No 17 was heavily favoured to handle.

Tomic’s serve deserted him late in the match. Picture: Getty Images

A weary Tomic trailed 1-4 in the first set as the fatigue from a gruelling second-round scare against American Tommy Paul set in, conceding the first set in 19 minutes.

He regrouped to clinch a tight second bracket and almost secured what might have been a matchwinning service break in the ninth game of the deciding set.

Sonego’s monster forehand saved him before, in the following game, Tomic cracked under pressure.

He had a brief exchange with US umpire Jake Garner post-match before sauntering back to the locker room.

Now doomed to a rankings fall to about No 170 in the world, Tomic’s next obligation might not be tennis.

Network Ten dropped the biggest hint yet Tomic will head to the wilds of Africa as the Queenslander before the Gold Coaster lost to Sonego.

The network has issued a promotional teaser referring to a “tennis star” being “at break point before they know it.”

Lorenzo Sonego qualified for the Aus Open at the expense of Tomic. Picture: Getty Images

Australian tennis has been awash with rumours the former No 17 had signed up for the show, which will be televised from January 28 — the night of the Australan Open men’s final.

Tomic this week denied Herald Sun reports he would be involved with the reality show set in Africa.

The Herald Sun understands Tomic had bragged to colleagues he had been offered more than $1 million to appear in the show.

Network Ten described the rumoured payments as “grossly over-inflated and simply false.”

“Network Ten does not confirm or deny any speculation about the identities of celebrities for the upcoming series of I’m A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here!,” a Network Ten spokesperson said.

“However, recent press speculation regarding rumoured celebrity payments are grossly over-inflated and simply false.”

Tomic cut a forlorn figure at times during the match. Picture: AAP

The Australian Open dream is over for Bernard Tomic. Picture: AAP

Tomic, 25, yesterday turned down requests to for an official post-match interview after scraping past Tommy Paul.

He also declined to speak after his first-round win over Vincent Millot.

Money is reputedly Tomic’s sole tennis motivation after a miserable 2017, when he failed to win a single grand slam match after reaching the third round in Melbourne.

The Gold Coaster has since fallen out with Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt and several other Australian players.

He was overlooked for a wildcard invitation to play the Open after turning down an offer to take part in a training camp.

The Wimbledon quarter-finalist is believed to have instead trained privately in Turkey and the Gold Coast.

Bernie Tomic returns serve during his clash with Italian Lorenzo Sonego at Melbourne Park. Picture: Getty Images