Bernard Tomic exits Brisbane International for the third time
Earlier today, 18-year-old Australian player Bernard Tomic was knocked out of the Brisbane International for the third time in a row. The player, who is regarded as one of Australia’s best prospects in the tennis world, went down
once again at the tournament. This time, he fell to seventh seed Florian Mayer from Germany. The final score line was 6-2, 6-2.
However, the opening round loss has not fazed the young player from thinking big for the New Year. The loss was a significant disappointment for Tomic - the youngest player in the Top 250 - who had been trying to find a way into
the main draw for this month’s Grand Slam in Melbourne. He has been of the firm opinion that he would develop significantly as a player in 2011, saying, “If I train and compete well during the year, I definitely have a good shot at getting to the top 120,
130.”
It is hard to tell what is more disappointing; that a player should be satisfied with that ranking, or is it one of the highest places Australian male tennis players can reach on tour these days. World Number 54 Lleyton Hewitt
is, in fact, the only male tennis player in the top 100 these days. Moreover, despite Tomic’s low World Number 208 ranking, he is still Australia’s Number 7.
Tomic declares, “I am aiming to play a lot more tournaments this year and come up the rankings by the end of the year. I think my ranking is going to go up for sure - I know it will. If I play good I will be well inside (top 150)
but who knows what could happen.”
Bernard Tomic’s problems may also lie in the fact that he has not played in a professional match since an ITF tournament in November. This was evident in his woeful performance at Brisbane today. If he wants to proceed to the Australian
Open and perform well, he needs to find his top form as soon as possible.
Apart from his professional incompetency, Tomic has been drawing attention for all the wrong reasons. He ended 2010 amidst controversy after withdrawing from wildcard playoffs for the Australian Open, only to be seen practicing
the day the playoffs commenced. His past also includes a series of arguments with Lleyton Hewitt.
When asked about dropping out of the playoffs, Tomic says, “I have been sick. The last 10 days have been good, but having to get back on court again might have cost me a little bit. And all the rain has made it hard to get practice
in, but I will try and find my rhythm back in the next week.”
Nonetheless, Tomic’s ability to prove himself as a player remains to be seen.
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