Bernard Tomic's wildcard dreams crushed?
Things have been looking a little glum for Bernard Tomic, as he faces the possibility of not getting the final Brisbane International wildcard for men. As the dates set for the event draw close and closer, Tomic’s chances seem to be in greater jeopardy.
The final decisions for the first two wildcards were made public early Monday morning. The spots have gone to the local rising star John Millman and former Australian Open winner Marinko Matosevic. It seems like Tomic has not been standing out so far in
the deliberations.
Perhaps this has something to do with the fact that the 18 year old Gold Coaster, scored wildcards to the first two editions of the Brisbane International yet failed to get past the first rounds both times. The 2009 Brisbane International was his debut tournament
for the then 16 year old and he was definitely off to not a very great start. Furthermore, his withdrawal from the Australian Open wildcard play-offs could not have helped matters much.
Another sad reality is that a number of local younger players seem to be in much better form and thus better candidates to actually receive the wildcards. From where we are standing it looks like Tomic’s wildcard dreams are about to be crushed.
The strongest contender for the spot seems to Brisbane’s own pride and joy, Jason Kubler. The 17 year old has been dominating the World’s Top Junior title throughout 2010. On the ATP ranking the youngster currently stands on 534 spot. This is 200 places
higher than Tomic’s 763 spot in 2009, when he got his first wild card.
The tournaments director Steve Ayles has hinted that it is likely that a youngster is likely to bag the third and final wildcard for the event. "There are a few young guys and a few players being looked at the moment and Tomic is one of them. I hope that
within the next 24 hours we will make that announcement and end that speculation. It is not a straight forward decision but it generally turns out in favour of a younger player,” said Ayles.
If Tomic loses this wildcard just like he lost the US Open wildcard, it will spell disaster for the youngster. It would basically mean that the player would need a wildcard into the qualifying tournament for the Open as his ranking is too low to allow him
a direct entry.
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