'We all know': Bernard Tomic's absurd claim about Wimbledon
Bernard Tomic's desire to turn over a new leaf in his tennis career may have hit a Covid-19 roadblock at the Australian Open, but the 29-year-old says he remains determined to succeed.
The world No.257 complained to the chair umpire that he was feeling symptoms of the virus during his straight sets loss to Russia's Roman Safiullin earlier this week.
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He was vindicated after testing positive on Thursday afternoon, but it would come as no comfort given Tomic's previously stated desire to end his career in a manner befitting the early promise he showed.
Tomic opened up about his dramatic career arc in an interview with A Current Affair prior to the Australian Open, speaking openly about the negative influence his father John had on him at a younger age.
It was a remarkably humble interview from Tomic, who also used the conversation as an opportunity to publicly apologise to Lleyton Hewitt over the pair's public spat several years earlier.
But Tomic is still Tomic, and despite being ranked well outside the top 200 and far removed from his peak at No.17, he still believes he has what it takes to be a grand slam winner.
“I can win Wimbledon,” Tomic said.
“We all know this, I know this — I’m probably a top 10 player in the world on grass. I will do it, before I retire, I will do it, that’s for sure.”
Bernard Tomic backs up grand slam bravado
A bold statement sure, but Tomic elaborated in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, saying he felt he had certainly wasted some of his potential.
Nevertheless, he said he was determined to retire 'happy' from the sport.
“Time is running out. I’ve realised I need to snap out of it and get back to the sport, finish it off the right way and retire happy. Guilt free," he said.
“There are so many things I could have done. I could have won Wimbledon in my career. But I know I can do it.
"There’s a window coming in the next five or six years before I retire and I’m going to do it. I’ve got my eyes on it and I will do it.
“To have that talent there and not fulfil your potential, it’s going to hurt me when I do retire. I want to do this for myself. Not for you, not for my father, not for anyone.
"But to prove to myself that I could have done this. This is rock bottom. There’s only up from here.”
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.”
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