Bernard Tomic's sad admission amid battle to resurrect his tennis career
The former World No.17 is trying to resurrect his tennis career and has sights set on cracking the top 100.
Bernard Tomic was once Australian tennis' next big thing after reaching the quarter-finals of Wimbledon at just 18 years old in 2011 but fell off drastically in the decade that followed. In a recent interview, Tomic opened up about his fall from grace and the mental health struggles that he has battled on the tennis circuit as he looks to resurrect his career.
The Aussie was at one point in time the World No.17 but currently is ranked No.267 in the world. In the last twelve months, Tomic has returned to tennis with a new focus and last month took out the M25 Chennai tournament on the ITF World Tennis Tour. The tournament win was Tomic's most significant title since winning the ATP 250 title in Chengdu in September 2018.
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It was a monumental victory for the 31-year-old who had previously lost his passion for playing the game. Tomic says the mental toll of professional tennis has weighed heavily on him in the past but he has since turned a corner. After plummeting to World No.825 in August 2022 (his lowest ranking in 14 years), Tomic continues to work on rebuilding his tennis career, winning five ITF singles titles in the last three seasons, including four at M15 events.
"The tour is very difficult. Tennis is a very isolated sport. It is very tough mentally and you are on your own travelling," Tomic told Sportskeeda. "You are not playing a team sport like soccer or basketball. You are on your own. There’s a lot of travel involved and a lot of time is spent alone. You need to figure out how to feel mentally good and when to recharge the batteries.
"I also struggled for three to four years. I’ve managed to turn it around and feel better mentally. When you travel from a young age for many many years, it really can get to you mentally. The sport can really drain you. You need to figure out what’s best for you mentally and always find a way to be positive and move forward. In tennis, you need to be mentally in a good state."
Bernard Tomic sets sights on breaking into the top 100
After months of regular tennis, Tomic now has set his sights on cracking the top 100 and believes he can go even further and make a return to the top 50, an ambitious goal considering less than two years ago he was barely ranked inside the top 1000. "In around September 2022, I was in the 800s in the rankings. For the last year and a half, I have played pretty well to get back," Tomic said.
"I played a lot of matches. I missed a lot of tennis for three years. I was not playing that much. And my physical fitness went down. It took me a little bit of time to get into rhythm. But now, I’m playing pretty good. But I still need to play a little bit better to get back to the top.
"So I think the top 100 is very achievable for me. Even top 50. But still, you need to stay healthy, and do the right things. This next year will be interesting. As long as I stay healthy and keep practising, I think I should be OK, let’s see."
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