Bernard Tomic has been heralded as the next big thing in Australian tennis for years now. With Lleyton Hewitt nearing the end of his career, it’s time for Aussie fans to look to the next generation. The good news is that Tomic shows a great deal of promise, already having made it to the quarterfinals of Wimbledon. The bad news is that Tomic is somewhat of a polarizing figure. A few years back, the newspapers picked up on a supposed feud between Tomic and Hewitt. Then he was accused of faking an illness during the 2011 Australian Open wildcard playoffs. More recently, Tomic has claimed that the police were harassing him by pulling him over for “hooning” in his BMW M3. “Hooning” is apparently Australian slang for driving recklessly.
The teenager is bursting with confidence. When asked about his first round match against Fernando Verdasco, who is a former Australian Open semifinals (2009) and was seeded 22 at this tournament, Tomic had plenty to say. Most players try to hype up their opponents, touting their talents even if a win is near guaranteed. How many times have you heard Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal tout the merits of a much lower ranked player? Instead, Tomic reminded the press that, “the last six months [Verdasco] hasn’t really done much. I think it’s a good time to play him.” It’s true that Verdasco did not have the best year in 2011, but he was still the higher ranked, more seasoned player. These kinds of statements can really come back to burn a player. Lucky for Tomic, he won, and he won in a rather spectacular fashion.
Tomic’s gutsy five set win over Verdasco went a long way to making me a believer. If his confidence gets him results, then so be it. It’s part of his game. Every player will say they believe they can win, that anything can happen. I think Tomic actually believes he can win any match. That’s how a lot of top players have made their way to the top. They were young and cocky, and believed they could beat the best. It’s just been a while since we’ve seen one of these phenoms follow through.
One of the big question marks around Tomic was his fitness. He looked tired in the third set against Verdasco, but in his post match interview hinted that was all part of his game plan, that he was lulling the Spaniard into a false sense of security. By sets four and five, Tomic looked like a new man, and the crowd was loving it. There’s really no better test of a player’s fitness than a close five set day match at the Australian Open, where it is almost always scorching. Clearly he has been putting in the effort off the court.
The chances Tomic can make a splash at this year’s Australian Open are slim. He faces American Sam Querrey in the second round, whose ranking has dropped due to spending much of last season out with an injury. After that, potential opponents include Alexandr Dolgopolov in the 3rd round and the mighty Roger Federer in the Round of 16. Add in the fact that media attention on Tomic will be at an all time high after Samantha Stosur crashed out in the 1st round, and the teenager will need all the confidence he can get this week.
