Bernard Tomic started off his second round match in the 2011 Australian Tennis Open against Feliciano Lopez with an ace. He ended his three-set victory by reducing the world no 31 to a subdued, bewildered shambles of a player who seemed resigned to his fate of going under to unexpectedly to a much younger opponent.
In fact, from the opening ace onwards in the match, the 18 year-old Tomic was the poised, measured veteran and Lopez was seemingly the youngster who had just broken into the top world 200, and had that sinking feeling that he was out of his class.
Tomic was terrific, almost scientific on the big points. He had pin-pointed the Lopez sliced backhand as a weakness. When he needed a point, he repeatedly explored that side until Lopez made an error.
It is one thing to know where an opponent has a weakness. It is another – and much harder – thing to actually put the ball into the areas, and at the correct times, to exploit that weakness.
Tomic also displayed a good all-court game to complement his match nous. This is a different type of game to that of Lleyton Hewitt, to whom he is now being compared. He is nowhere near as fast around the court.
But he does have the ability to finish off points at the net. He also has a quickish first serve which gave him a number of easy points, a weapon that Hewitt has never had.
Roger Rasheed reckoned, a few days ago, that Tomic will be lucky to be a no 30 player. He cited his lack of speed around the court and his lack of power.
Judging from the television pictures, Tomic appears to have the sort of angular, wide-shouldered body that should fill out, rather like Roger Federer, as he gets into his 20s.
When he fills out, the power should come. Meanwhile, he has the sort of court-craft, but not the speed of foot, that made Hewitt such a fine and successful player when he was younger. You’d have to think that after this complete display of tennis skills that Tomic is a possible top-20, even top-10 player.
One thing that Tomic does not have – thankfully – is Hewitt’s often obnoxious court manner. Tomic played like Federer, Nadal and the greats of Australian tennis like Laver, Rosewall and Newcombe with a calm, sportsmanlike attitude.
There were no histrionics to unsettle his opponent. There were no tantrums when Lopez won a crucial point with a lucky net-point.
And at the end, when his unlikely win was completed, Tomic was almost diffident as he pumped his fist into the air.
Watching this display of skill and temperament by Tomic, I found it hard to equate this disciplined and intelligent performance with the reports from the Hewitt camp over the past couple of years of boorish behaviour by Tomic.
With Hewitt now at the end of his fine career, Tomic might just be the tonic that Australian men’s tennis needs. Rafael Nadal will end Tomic’s run next round. But who knows in a few year’s time if we’ll be able to say this with any confidence.
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