Australian Davis Cup captain Pat Rafter has fired a broadside at Bernard Tomic, challenging the 18-year old to work harder and fulfill his potential.
Tomic won his singles match against world No.19 Stan Wawrinka but Australia lost the Davis Cup tie overal 3-2 to Switzerland, following Wawrinka’s defeat of Lleyton Hewitt yesterday.
It was a fiery tie for Rafter, after his outburst against the referee over the issue of fading light on Sunday. Rafter praised the play of Tomic, saying it was “terrific”, but tempered his acclaim with words of advice.
“He was great on the side of the court, he was listening, he had a really good frame of mind, and it was just really good to see him keep that concentration for those whole four sets,” Rafter said.
”If he [Tomic] wants to work hard, he will get the results, and he’s got to start having consistent results every time he walks on the court and putting everything out there. That has been one of the weak parts of his game, that he is not applying himself day in, day out, and so that’s up to him.”
”He needs to be just a bit more disciplined in his attitude and [do] a bit more hard work; just get a lot more miles in his legs and ready to just sort of take on those matches day in, day out, over a long period of time.”
Rafter seemed somewhat riled after a dramatic loss to Switzerland that had seesawed from joy to heartache. Rafter said Tomic needed to increase his discipline and needed someone to motivate him.
”[Bernard’s] got to give his full confidence to whoever he has, and I think sometimes he doesn’t have that full confidence in that person working with him,” Rafter said.
”But his father and him have a very good relationship and they seem to have their ups and downs but at least they have that understanding.
“He’s obviously a very good talent, and all this fame and everything has come to him right now, so he’s just adjusting to that.”
Australia faces another year in the Davis Cup Asia-Oceania zone after the loss to Switzerland. Australia will spend a fifth year out of the top competition, forced to fight it out in zonal qualifiers for the chance to re-enter the Davis Cup main group in 2013.
Whether it’s aces or races, try out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp for great odds and a great punting experience. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
He lost in straight sets to Alejandro Tabilo, less than 48 hours after being hit in the head by a water bottle that fell…
Alex de Minaur has become familiar with the lonely feeling of being the last Australian standing at major tennis tournaments - but he's dealing…
The water bottle came loose from a fan's backpack and struck the tennis champion in the head.
Not even a bang on the head could ruin Novak Djokovic's businesslike return to action at the Italian Open on a day when Australia's…
After a double fault saw Novak Djokovic exit the Monte Carlo Masters to Casper Ruud at the semi-final stage, the Serbian's hopes of a…
Alex de Minaur has missed out on the chance of a lifetime to beat Rafael Nadal on clay in successive tournaments, blown away by…
