You never know what you’ll get when you take on Bernard Tomic

What a mystery Bernard Tomic has become. He’s into the second round of a major.

Bernard Tomic, the mystery man of Australian tennis, takes on Japan’s Yuichi Sugita

Bernard Tomic was playing the Sydney International a few years ago when the draw for the Australian Open was announced. He learned mid-match against somebody rather forgettable that Denis Istomin would be his foe at Melbourne Park. Tomic was pleased enough by this development to walk around the back of Ken Rosewall Arena and shout: “I’ve got Istomin! I’ve got Istomin!”

The inference was obvious. You little beauty, I’ve got Istomin. He knew he could beat the Uzbek, and so he did, in four rugged sets, back in the days when Tomic was occasionally up for the fight and pretty much guaranteed to win a few matches through his old-school cunning and guile.

Times have changed, however, and when Japan’s Yuichi Sugita received his draw for this year’s COVID-19 Cup, you would not have blamed him for banging on the walls of his hotel room and hollering: “I’ve got Tomic! I’ve got Tomic.”

For this promised to be the next best thing to a bye. Tomic, after two weeks of quarantine guaranteed to make his body soft. Tomic, after missing his warm-up event because of injury. Tomic, after claiming he was being coached by his girlfriend. Tomic, with a world ranking that sounded like one of Joe Root’s recent Test scores: 233. Tomic, after not wining a main draw ATP Tour or grand slam match since July, 2019.

Sugita arrived as a 32-year-old world number 104, the sort of player Tomic should eat alive, but a mid-match withdrawal seemed more likely than a warrior’s commitment to a five-set battle.

They were out on court eight. Not, it must be said, one of the great cathedrals of world sport. The domain of players with triple-figure rankings.

Oh, for the days when Tomic was skilfully slicing and dicing with Roger Federer on Rod Laver Arena.

What a sad decline it has been. Perhaps Tomic would threaten his quickest ATP Tour match, the 6-0 6-1 loss to Jarkko Nieminen in 28 minutes at the 2014 Miami Masters. Perhaps he would come and go faster than he did at Wimbledon in 2019, when he lost to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-2 6-1 6-4 in 58 minutes and earned himself a fine for a lack of effort. You never know what you might get when you’ve got Tomic.

Tomic emerged in a black hoodie like he didn’t want to be recognised. He survived the warm-up without his strapped right knee packing it in, so there was a promising sign.

Sugita revealed a spinny sort of serve and choppy technique that deserved a ping pong table. Tomic was huffing and puffing and wiping sweat from his brow when things started really heating up. That was at one-all in the first set.

His father, John, was in attendance, for a 3-6 6-1 4-1 (walkover) win. His first win at a major since Wimbledon in 2018. What a turn-up for the books. A walkover was at short odds, but not in favour of Tomic!

The first set was ho-hum. Dispiriting. Sugita ran the big-boned Australian side to side until the former Wimbledon quarter-finalist had nothing left in his underdone legs.

Sugita simply had to keep doing what he was doing. Which wasn’t much. But he became nervous. Played timidly. Errors snuck in. Tomic pounced. His body language improved. I’ve got Sugita! I’ve got him by the throat!

What a mystery Tomic has become. He’s into the second round of a major.

Sugita called for the trainer for an injury that was not immediately apparent. A couple of games later, that was all she wrote.

Tomic’s flat forehand was still formidable. His sliced backhand still buzzed like a bumblebee.

The drop shots still showcased the softness of his hands. In the first set, he played one great point but then four duds. He spent the rest of the evening playing four great points and then one dud. Incredible, this. The bye had a win.