Bernard Tomic. An athlete who is as much gifted as he is an enigma, last night reiterated to every Australian the notion: he ain’t worth our time.
Tipped as one of the most anticipated match ups of the Australian Open, 21-year old Tomic last night faced the No.1 ranked Rafael Nadal and before you could blink Tomic was grimacing.
41 minutes later it was over with Tomic forced to retire citing a groin injury. No one was overly surprised.
The crowd booed him, social media went into a frenzy and I too cursed and stamped my feet.
Not so much for the fact that Tomic withdrew, but because this was supposed an opportunity (yes another one), to win over the public and get them back on track.
Statistically and theoretically, Tomic never stood a chance against Nadal. However, I wanted him to demonstrate his power and ability to produce great shots to his doubters.
In hindsight last night here were glimpses of greatness. While initially he struggled with his return of serve, his forehand responded when he faced short balls. It also helped that Nadal failed to get any solid depth off his own returns.
Today though this all means nothing. Tomic is again at the forefront of being the most picked-upon Australian athlete alongside Anthony Mundine, and numerous footballers.
He’s got no heart. This is why Australia hates him. Hewitt would have fought on, doggedly. Et cetera.
Right now there’s a plethora of tweets about Tomic across social media, most of the unsavoury type.
Perhaps if Hewitt hadn’t displayed his staunch fighting capability only an hour before Tomic took the court would the majority of you all wouldn’t be so aggressive to Bernie.
We’ve sat back, amused by the other hate campaigns and seen them come out the other side. Quade Cooper, Sonny Bill Williams and (dare I say) Josh Dugan could all give Tomic a pep talk on the perils of this sports loving nation.
The begging question though is does Tomic have it in him to turn it around? And what exactly is it he needs to change again? Would you like him to perhaps turn his hat to the front? Kiss more babies?
Some say Hewitt has ruined the future of tennis for us. We’ve been spoiled with his success and humility and I’d almost agree if it wasn’t for young Nick Kyrgios coming up through the ranks having won his debut round one match yesterday.
So now I’m back to the question that’s run through my brain all night: should Tomic have played on risking further injury that could have him sidelined for weeks therefore missing the next Davis Cup tie or should he have fought on till he damn well ripped his groin to bits resulting into happy headlines of ‘Tomic the fighter’ thus winning over the country?
Sure the PR would have been great for the latter but that’s not reality. We have another three Grand Slams ahead of us this year, Tomic has a decade in him given he takes the opportunity in front of him.
Or could it be that Team Tomic is rotten from the core? Father-coach John is sometimes compared to the infamous Damir Dokic. Is that fair?
Maybe last night we witnessed one of Australia’s biggest sporting stars showing his true colours. Maybe Tomic will forever be tossed into the “could have/should have” category alongside the often compared Mark Phillippoussis.
All I know is feel like my crusade for Australians to support Tomic is dwindling. What can I say to the haters calling him pathetic? I simply have no rebuttal.
Maybe we will never see what Tomic is capable of. Maybe we are yet to see his best.
BA Sports
Guest
Hewitt had lots of people who didn't like his aggressive nature in his early days. That said, Tomic is now out for 12 weeks, so hopefully those who gave him a hard time this week didn't get their faces too burnt when wiping the egg off their face,,,
Zee
Roar Guru
Maybe the Australian public don't like him because he's Ethnic? I think if Bernie was a fair looking Anglo .. Say like Hewitt, the Australian public would be a lot more tolerable.
Rusty
Guest
Look he has no heart simple as that. If he had 10% the courage and heart of Hewitt man he would be something. Instead he is up himself and will win no grand slams. He is un Australian in my opinion due to his Pappa.
Statler and Waldorf
Roar Guru
If you can't support him because he is injured then you were a poor supporter anyway
Swaggy P
Guest
So many questions to end your piece Hayley! You have played Switzerland well. I think we are all forgetting the hate there was for little Lleyton when he was younger. He won us old folk over eventually. I worry that Tomic's father is coaching him though. I think he needs to can his Dad and get Roger Rasheed to work on his game and his tan. He will be a better tennis player and may not have to even go out to pick up. Thus, no comprising shots of him dancing with a girl in public that way (heaven forbid that a 21 year old dance). It is a win-win Roger. That said, Roger probably won't teach him how to grow a ticker. I've decide he will never make it. But maybe he already has? Who knows? Do you care? Is he related to Dokic somehow? So many questions.
Matt F
Roar Guru
I think the criticism is very harsh in this case. It's understandable to a degree as he has a history of surrendering meekly in matches so people could well be thinking of 'the boy who cried wolf' in this situation. His off-court antics have also put many offside. In this case though, he clearly had an injury and tried to play through it. Could he have fought through it? Maybe, maybe not. The only person who knows the answer to that is Bernard, and maybe some medical staff who treated him. Plenty of players pull out of matches with injury. There are plenty of reasons to dislike Tomic but I don't think that last night was one of them
Australian Rules
Guest
I think all this criticism has been very unfair. I don't particularly like the kid, but he had an injury - it happens in professional sport. People are carrying on like he faked the injury cos it was hot. I think the Australian public and media has looked very poor over this.
albo
Guest
I think Tomic said it best"its hard enough beating nadel with two good legs"Players go of injured in all sports,because tennis is one against one it shows up more.
Winter is Coming
Guest
The greed on display by people who whinge about losing the money they paid for tickets is astounding. No less than 9 people retired from Day 1 of the Australian Open. This has been happening at every tennis tournament for decades. You buy the ticket, you take the risk.
Nathan Cirson
Roar Pro
If Tomic only cared about what the Australian public thought of him he would've stayed out there last night and further injured himself. If he's looking to preserve his body, get the most out of this year and deliver on his promised of a top 20 world ranking (which as I recall was top 10 last year) he was right to retire last night. As for his heart and how bad his injury was and felt that's something that only he will know. It's no good being told you're the best, the rankings don't lie and no amount of excuses will change that. If he wants to be near the top of men's tennis he's got a lot of work ahead of him.
Fox Molder
Guest
The braying masses want Tomic to hop through on one leg against Nadal and fight on to some miracle victory. Then when his groin is in shreds to come out for a Round 2 match and do it all again. Groins are slow healers and tennis is Tomic's paycheck. No pay no play. If he snapped his groin and missed 6 months work it would not be a smart move. Tomic did the right thing by him and his career. He has another decade to contend at this level. The amnesiac twittersnipes will embrace him in the future when he goes deep into the tournament.
RAF
Guest
...and may well have been one of the youngest Wimbledon winners had he had the right guidance, ticker and brains
Kimberley
Guest
Ridiculous piece. Did you support Andre Agassi when he was taking ice? Love Lleyton when he racially abused linesman at US Open (ask James Blake or Google it)? Watch Cilic now back from doping sanction? The booing & subsequent carry on about him having no heart/UnAustralian makes me want to vomit.
Ken
Guest
But lost nevertheless and then withdrew injured. And no, I didn't watch any of it as I had a patch of paint that I wanted to watch drying. It was more interesting.
Jerry
Guest
Good call - I dont think it's fair to link this to his heart or personality.. seperate issues he was limping the whole 1st set - medical time out in the first game .. he was battling
Yeahright
Guest
"Has he ever been “injured” when he was winning a match" You didn't watch much of that short game Ken did you? Tomic was actually playing quite well for most of that set.
Yeahright
Guest
"arrogant and self proclaimed superiority voiced" from who, Tomic?? Are you serious? He is the youngest male to reach the Wimbledon Semi-Finals since Boris Becker in 1986 with plenty of ATP winnings, etc, etc. I'm pretty sure if Australia would have anyone better he would be playing instead of Tomic already. Agree with you re his father role thought
Peaches
Guest
I don't think it matters what would have happened last night, the majority of Australia just don't like him. I don't know why? He seems approachable and overall a good young man. I remember the outcry when there was a photo of him and a couple of girls about Schoolies time. Newsflash everyone. It was his 21st birthday and he lives on the Golf Coast. The young man is a 21 year old talented tennis player. He is one of the highest ranked players for his age in a game where the experienced mature players are still having success and the younger players are struggling to make a name for themselves. If he retired injured last night, I believe him. A 6-4 loss in the opening set shows it was a close match and he wasn't throwing the towel in like some would have you believe. Here's hoping he'll be et full fitness soon enough to help the national team in Davis Cup.
The High Shot
Roar Pro
An injury's an injury. If he couldn't play on, that should be the end of it. Yeah if I'd paid my money to watch the match I'd be disappointed and may have even got caught up in the vitriol (especially with a few beers in me) but in the cold light of day we really should back off. Dislike him for his driving antics if you want but I doubt he's faked anything here. Why would he??
Ken
Guest
Very well written explanation, which is somewhere along the lines of what I was thinking, but I couldn't express it as well as you have. I also think he lacks courage and seeks an excuse whenever he is losing. Has he ever been "injured" when he was winning a match ?