- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Australian Bernard Tomic has obviously “made it” at the home of tennis: television commentators are now calling him ‘Bernie’. The 18 year-old qualifier swept into the Wimbledon quarters with a 6-1 7-5 6-4 demolition job on Belgian Xavier Malisse in just 81 minutes of controlled power.
More impressively, Tomic made only eight unforced errors all match – an incredibly low stat.
Malisse (30), a 13 year veteran on the circuit, didn’t know what hit him in the 21-minute first set. He was left blinking in disbelief as Tomic served at 71%, and whipped 13 winners past him to six of his own.
The Belgian regained some composure, and pride, in the last two sets, but Tomic was all over him like a rash.
As he proved in the straight sets success over an ailing fifth-seed Robin Soderling in the third round, Tomic is making the most of his 193cm (6ft 4) height, his wing span from the back-court, and occasional visits to the net. A big advantage.
Tomic is following in some big footsteps as a Wimbledon qualifier.
* John McEnroe qualified in 1977 and made it to the semis, where he was beaten by Jimmy Connors.
* Boris Becker qualified in 1984, and made it to the third round.
* As did Pat Rafter in 1993.
Now Tomic is into the quarters, and having bettered the performances of Becker and Rafter, he’s become the centre of attention.
Seating on Court 18 is limited to about 850. That was chockers an hour before the Tomic-Malisse match was scheduled to start.
A first time visit to the famous Centre Court looms next for the Aussie, with a meeting with number two seed Novak Djokovic, who sent left-hander Michael Llodra packing 6-3 6-3 6-3.
Tomic started this Slam at 158 in the world.
That’s already been slashed in half, and if he keeps a cool head, as he did against Soderling and Malisse, there’s likely to be a lively showdown with Djokovic.
There’s just one question mark over the Aussie: break point conversions.
Against Soderling, with an almost identical scoreline of 6-1 6-4 7-5, Tomic converted four of seven break points (57%) against Malisse’s four of 11 for 36%.
Those numbers won’t cut the mustard with Djokovic. Nothing short of 75% will do the trick.
But Tomic is into a Slam quarter final for the first time. Now comes the real litmus test.
And after a day of shocks with defending champion Serena Williams gone, sister Venus gone, and world number one Caroline Wozniacki gone, who is to say Tomic can’t rattle Djokovic’s cage to create the upset of the tournament?
It’s entirely up to ‘Bernie’.