'Still scared': Bernard Tomic's staggering admission about father
Bernard Tomic has opened up about the influence of his father on his career in a highly revealing interview, admitting pressure to perform as a young player contributed to his erratic performances.
Filmed before his dramatic exit from Australian Open qualifiers, Tomic's interview with A Current Affair saw him delve into the tense relationship with his father, John.
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A looming presence throughout Tomic's stellar junior career, Bernard said though he had come to terms with his relationship with his father, there were many things he wishes had been different.
Suggesting his father had 'whacked balls at me, rackets and stuff' and describing him as a 'crazy man', Tomic said the pair had a complicated relationship.
The senior Tomic's intense desire to see his talented son succeed fostered what ultimately became an unhealthy dynamic between the two.
“I’m still scared of my dad,” Tomic said.
“I wouldn't want to be raising my kid the way I was raised.
“Growing up was just tennis, tennis, tennis.
“That’s the only thing I knew. I was breathing tennis, sleeping tennis and working very hard. People don’t see the work I put in, the blood, sweat and tears. I was on court 8-10 hours a day, at a young age, when I was 10 years old.”
John Tomic declined to be interviewed for the story about Bernard, Channel 9 said.
Bernard said that although he had learned a lot from his father and that he remains a big part of his tennis life, Tomic admitted the expectations of John were unrealistic.
“His expectations for me as a player was always too high, of being No. 1 and winning 10-20 grand slams," Tomic said.
"There was always a lot of pressure thrown on me from my father and it’s not easy, people don’t see this outside world of constant pressure, pressure, pressure.
"Then there is the fans and general public, so all of that when it was thrown upon me, it was not easy to handle. I didn't handle it very well.”
Bernard Tomic grappling with complicated career legacy
The world No.257's latest attempt to resurrect his once promising career ended in farce at the Australian Open qualifiers earlier this week.
Struggling throughout his match against Russian contender Roman Safiullin, at one point Tomic turned to the chair umpire to vehemently protest his suspicions that he had Covid-19.
Tomic was ultimately vindicated on Thursday, when tests showed indeed had contracted the virus.
In the interview, Tomic said he believed he had matured since his spate of memorable controversies, including several tanked matches and his infamous 'counting my millions' comments after he was bounced from the 2018 Australian Open.
“Once you’ve experienced the sort of things I have in the fast lane, you become a little bit depleted and bored. It becomes a little bit depressing at times," he said.
"With all due respect, I’ve matured now. I’m not the same person I was.
“I think differently, I see things differently. I believe people learn a lot as they get older. That’s why I’m doing this interview here today, to express how I feel and to change as a person.
"To be a role model for kids, a better role model I should say. And fulfil stuff I haven’t done in the sport of tennis.”
Since becoming the youngest player, at 16 in 2009, to win a men's main-draw match at the Open, Tomic has made the second week three times and reached the third round on four other occasions.
Tomic was the only Australian out of 20 hopefuls to successfully make the Open main draw last year when the men's qualifying event was held in Doha.
The former world No.17, now ranked 260, hadn't played in an ATP tournament since September, when he retired in the first round of a qualifier event in Kazakhstan.
In fact, Tomic hadn't won a set since a first-round qualifying victory at Wimbledon last June.
With AAP
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