All the talk should be about the future of Australian tennis and the fact that Bernard Tomic showed a great deal of potential in his defeat to Marin Cilic.
World No. 14 Cilic prevailed after 3 hours and 48 minutes 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 4-6 6-2 6-4 win on Rod Laver Arena, with the match finishing just after 2am.
The match was second on court, after a stunning women’s second round clash between Elena Dementieva and Justine Henin, which lasted nearly 3 hours and concluded at around 10pm in Melbourne, thus meaning Tomic’s matchup with Cilic didn’t begin until close to 1030.
It appeared that Tomic had taken two giant steps forward in his quest for tennis stardom. Sadly, he has taken three steps back with comments afterwards in his post match press conference.
Tomic was unhappy that after requesting a day match, he received a night session and was forced to play late at night.
“It’s difficult for me. I had the same problem last year. I can’t see after one o’clock, two o’clock, for a 17-year-old to go out and play.
“Name me any sport you play at one or two in the morning, except this. Especially me, at my age, it’s difficult.’’
With these comments, he has sadly taken the attention away from a wonderful performance against quality opposition.
I just hope that this is a one-off for Tomic as he looks to win over the Australian public.
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