Bernard Tomic is hard to like, but I have some sympathy for him.
During his extraordinary tirade against Tennis Australia, its president Stephen Healy, CEO Craig Tiley and Pat Rafter, Tomic didn’t miss anyone.
But who was he firing the bullets for – himself, or his father John?
It’s no secret John Tomic and Tennis Australia are at arm’s length, which was verified yesterday by one of Australia’s tennis legends John Newcombe.
“The relationship between John Tomic and Tennis Australia is irreparable”.
And let me tell you if anybody can’t get on with Healy, Tiley, or Rafter, they have a major problem – and the problem is definitely not those three.
So where to from here?
Tennis Australia has sacked Bernard Tomic from the Davis Cup tie in Darwin against Kazakhstan from July 17 to 19, and in retaliation Nick Kyrgios has threatened to quit the Cup squad as well.
What an unholy mess at a time when tennis in Australia was on the rise after decades in the wilderness.
When I was a kid, if an Australian didn’t win the majority of men’s Slam singles titles, there was almost a Royal Commission.
And because the Australians were so good and so successful, kids of my age wanted to be like them, and tennis courts sprung up all over Sydney to cater for the huge increase in interest.
In the 1950s, Australians won 22 of the 40 Slams, and were runners up in 23 – so there were 45 Australian representatives out of a possible 80 who were involved in the deciders of that decade.
It was even better in the 1960s, when Australians won 32 of 40 Slams, with 23 runners up – 55 Australians among 80 finalists.
The 1970s was an era where tennis courts were being sold for huge profits as the home unit boom started to spread.
Simple equation – less courts, less tennis players.
Having won 54 Slams in just two decades, and been runners up 46 times, the tennis drought in Australia set in.
In the next 45 years, Australians have won just 13 Slams, and been runners up 15 times.
How the mighty had fallen.
But with Tomic, Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis starting to make serious noises, Australia’s long-suffering tennis fans could see light at the end of the tunnel – even if the traditionalists aren’t all that keen over the antics.
The answer is for John Tomic to zip it, and there’s every chance peace will reign.
That’s a big ask on Tomic Sr’s part, but instead of putting his son between a rock and a hard place, support him by being like the vast majority of tennis fathers around the world.
Stop making waves and trouble for his own satisfaction.
Failing that, I get the distinct impression Lleyton Hewitt may well be the catalyst for peace.
All the current youngsters respect Hewitt and look up to him, so they are on the same page, and that’s a positive launching pad for success.
He just played his last Wimbledon, and the Darwin Davis Cup tie will be his last as a player before he takes over as Cup captain.
There’s still likely to be a rocky road until Hewitt’s in Davis Cup control, but fingers crossed that will be the awakening point.
The sport deserves nothing less.
MichaelJ
Guest
Sydney's housing ponzie scheme certainly did take out lots of tennis courts, too right. So many Chinese property investors and so few tennis opportunities for Aussies.
duecer
Guest
It is tricky for TA to know how much to disperse with available funds. On one hand, the better these guys do, the more interest and therefore takings will flow into the coffers. On the other hand, you have to be aware that neglect of grass roots was one of the key factors in the decline of tennis superiority. To this end, there has been attention to grass root support in each tennis state and therefore there isn't an endless supply at the top end, but unfortunately instead of being grateful, some of these beneficiaries have an exaggerated sense of entitlement - it would be nice to think they would like to put something back to a sport which will enable them to live very comfortably.
Bondy
Guest
I often reflect when Australia more or less ruled the world of Tennis & Davis Cup there were only a hand full of nations playing the sport the English, Americans, Australians, Spanish and the odd Scandinavian , In modern times there are tennis pro's from all continents where it wasn't like that 40 yrs ago,tennis has become harder for Australians with so much global competition nowadays . What some people dont comprehend in modern times is the tennis player governs himself and is not really controlled by a governing body (Tennis Australia) these players financially look after themselves at that's what pro sports are about . The Farther does appear to be a disturbing figure though ... Tennis & Football are very similar if Harry Kewell (in his prime) had a dispute with FFA he could've purchased the organisation and thrown them out same for Tomic & Kyrgios with T Aus I suspect ...
Jockosaurus
Guest
Well said. Tennis challenges swimming and rugby in the list of poorly run Oz sports. It was badly handled by Tomic, but there are genuine grievances there that TA is refusing to address. And what exactly does "stood down" mean? Is it a formal suspension? Was there a hearing? Can he appeal? Was the coach consulted? Lack of transparency there fellas. I'd like to know how many TA officials are at Wimbledon and how many, if any, paid their own way. And if they are on official TA business, why are things with BT and NK getting so out of hand?
Eleanor
Guest
TO THE E DITORIAL STAFF It is disapppointing to read in this article "and in retaliation Nick Kyrgios has threatened to quit the Cup squad as well" and find tucked at the bottom of the page an article which contradicts this - did NIck say this or was it Tomic only who "spoke for him" as it were If Nick said it and then made the statement of support,could an editorial note not be put in the first article to this effect. Both articles appeared on the one day. Some of us do try to keep up with the actual events as opposed to what sells! Eleanor
Turn it up
Guest
Or the Tomic family could suck it up, consider how far young Bernard would have made it without the support of TA, and reconsider their current stance. Is he really that "poor" that he has to whinge about having to pay for his own balls and court hire? A quick look at the Internet suggests he has won approximately $3M in prizemoney, likely having endorsements that exceed that figure. At what point do the Tomics say "We're ok for funding, please channel it to another young Aussie"? Matt Ebden has just sucked it up and acknowledged it cant go on forever. He didn't need a press conference to announce it to the world. B Tomic has been told since he was a young boy that he would be the World No 1. Well at 22 years of age, with 2 career titles to his name, he is a long way short of that. Perhaps he and his father should concentrate on his game, and winning more matches. That in turn will equate to more money and the ability to pay for court hire and tennis balls. Funny how the wheel turns isn't it.
purerugby
Roar Rookie
I just get the feeling Steve Healey & Craig Tiley might be a bit precious - Clearly there's a beef here or nothing would have been heard from Tomich and if Healey & Tiley can't cop a bit of comment for withdrawing normal practice support, [and obviously there's more] then what sort of blokes are they - They have a great talent in the young Tomich, but if the only way they can handle it is by way of airing dirty linen, we've got the wrong people at the top of Australia Tennis. These bloke are s'posed to be grown ups and I would have thought as such at the top of Tennis Aus it meant nurturing young players into maturity. Do they really think they can put the stick into Tomich senior and Tomich junior's isn't going to react. Healey and Tiley need to grow up and handle matters in the best interests of developing the best tennis talent we have available in Australia. There are certainly wiser heads around Australian tennis who are speaking with sanity. Perhaps Healy & Tiley are just passed their used by date.