Sad decline of lone wolf Bernard Tomic
Five years ago Bernard Tomic was the No 17 ranked tennis player in the world. Now he’s ranked No 229 and is coached by his reality TV star girlfriend.
Five years ago Bernard Tomic was the No 17 ranked tennis player in the world.
Now he’s ranked No 229 and is coached by his reality TV star girlfriend.
Trying to explain one of the more spectacular declines in Australian sport is not easy because nothing is easy when it comes to Tomic.
There are always more questions than answers as the bizarre outbursts and increasingly strange behaviour continues.
Can he still be a force on the world stage?
The short answer is no. The unique talent is still there but even when Tomic was one of the world’s elite players — he was ranked in the top 30 for two years from 2015-2017 — his work ethic was always perceived as an issue.
He doesn‘t possess the power to trouble the best players and from his last eight grand slam appearances, he’s only got out of the first round once (Wimbledon 2018).
Tomic, 28, has regularly bemoaned his lack of interest in tennis yet as one of his former mentors points out, he knows nothing else.
“I always worry about what Bernie is going to do when he can‘t play tennis,” he said. “He has got nothing to fall back on as all he knows is tennis.”
So the search for the next pay cheque continues.
Tomic barely picked up a racquet throughout the coronavirus pandemic lockdown which he claims has ignited his passion for the sport.
He says he’s gone vegan and given up alcohol which helped his recent improved form in UTR events in Australia and culminated with three impressive three-set victories in the Australian Open qualifying tournament in Doha.
That got him into the 128-man field which means he’s assured of a $100,000 payday even if he bows out in the first round.
What is his relationship with Australia’s tennis hierarchy?
Tomic is a lone wolf.
You won’t find many at Tennis Australia who will say a good word about him and he doesn’t have strong friendships in the player ranks.
Nick Kyrgios recently said he “didn’t mind” Tomic but the pair are far from besties while others point out that he was never really given an opportunity to cultivate proper relationships.
“He was isolated from everybody (growing up) so he’s really got no social skills,” one former opponent said.
“I have always felt a bit sorry for him as he had people around who were only there because of his money, they would pretend to be his friends.
“Bernie would only have people around by taking them out to restaurants or for nights out but when he stopped doing that for them they would disappear.”
Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt did try a number of times to help but Tomic blew that relationship up spectacularly with an extraordinary outburst at the 2019 Australian Open.
He declared no-one liked Hewitt and even threatened to knock him out.
Where is John Tomic?
This is the million-dollar question. He’s gone from overbearing father and coach to vanishing without trace. He still lives on the Gold Coast in a sizeable mansion but his hold over his son seems to have loosened.
Back in the day everything ran through John, literally everything which made things a nightmare for managers or financial advisers to create meaningful associations.
After Tomic made the quarter-final at Wimbledon at 18, the cash was rolling in. He was managed by global giant IMG and had a bevy of major sponsors including Nike and Yonex.
A penchant for fast cars ate up a lot of the money with father and son constantly bickering about what was happening with on-court earnings alone amounting to over $6m for his career.
“Bernie would get some money and it would be gone within a day,” one former insider said. ”They were always having arguments about money.
“It was a really weird set-up but it was that whole thing that family is always thicker than water.”
What impact has the new lady had in his life?
Vanessa Sierra isn’t the first reality star Tomic has cosied up with and he has a long history of surrounding himself with young attractive wannabes.
But the Love Island star has certainly made an impact in a short space of time.
She has even had the tennis star doing soft porn on adult website OnlyFans where Sierra is a big hit.
Her quarantine lockdown video where she complained about the state of the food and not having anyone to wash her hair went viral.
Tomic has since revealed his new girlfriend is also calling the shots on the tennis court.
“My girlfriend‘s coaching me actually,” Tomic told AAP.
“She’s just helping me with a few things. We’ve managed to win eight matches. Quite good, it’s a new tactic for 2021.”
It’s those types of comments which leave the tennis establishment just shaking their heads.
But they know something even more bizarre is just around the corner for the player they once saw as a future multiple grand slam winner.
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