Pat Rafter has expressed a number of regrets about his dealings with Bernard Tomic and conceded that his four-year tenure as Davis Cup captain was largely unenjoyable.
A surprisingly subdued Rafter spoke on KIIS FM’s Hughesy & Kate Show on Monday in response to Tomic’s television interview on Sunday night.
In it Tomic labelled the two-time US Open winner as “not that much of a nice guy” and said that he likes to “put on a show”.
While not offering an olive branch to the troubled tennis player, Rafter felt he could have handled Tomic better during his time with Tennis Australia (TA) as Davis Cup captain and then head of performance.
“One of the things I said publicly was that he was pretty disgraceful out there,” Rafter said, recalling the aftermath of a US Open match Tomic played against Andy Roddick in 2012 where he appeared to tank in the third set.
“Maybe I shouldn’t have said that. Maybe it should have been said between him and me.”
Rafter, who said he was brought in to make cultural changes by TA, thought things would play out a bit differently when he first started dealing with Tomic as an 18 year-old.
“… I thought at the time I could make some change but I found out pretty quickly I couldn’t impact that,” Rafter said.
“We see life a bit differently.
“So we are going to have disagreements and I was pretty vocal in that and he was pretty hurt by it.”
After a four-year stint as Davis Cup captain Rafter moved on to head of performance at TA, quitting that post earlier this year. He conceded he had a lot of difficulty dealing with the younger players.
“I realised I had no impact with these guys whatsoever. They couldn’t relate to me and I couldn’t relate to them,” he said.
All up it made for a difficult experience.
“It wasn’t enjoyable,” he said of the Davis Cup captaincy. “I reckon I had one or two enjoyable ties out of the four years I did it for. It was just hard work and banging my head against the wall all the time.”
Rafter said he held no ill-will towards Tomic but admitted that he hadn’t spoken to the former world No.17 for a year.
Craig
Guest
"I don't agree that Rafter was over-rated". "He certainly didn't have as much natural ability as some". You proved my point. People rabbit on about how great his game was, it wasn't. At times he looked lucky to be a top 50 player when he was entrenched in the top 10. His serve was poor on so many occasions, his return of serve was generally awful, he choked on so many occasions. But he did have a great attitude and heart and must have been extremely dedicated. Should someone with his level of ability ever won 2 grand slams? No. But he did it and an amazing effort it was with his limited skill set.
John Erichsen
Roar Guru
I don't agree that Rafter was over-rated. A back to back winner of the US Open title and two times Wimbledon finalist makes him one of the most successful Australian male tennis players, with Hewitt, since the 1970's. He certainly didn't have as much natural ability as some, but was smart and disciplined enough to get every ounce out of the ability he had. In my opinion, a player like Mark Philippoussis, was over-rated. Today, the likes of Kyrgios and Tomic are over-rated, as they have plenty of talent but aren't even close to winning a grand slam tournament. I wouldn't take Tomic's opinion of Rafter as of much worth. Tomic and Kyrgios' lack of substance as individuals would be enough to create a chasm between them and Rafter. The reality that Rafter didn't enjoy his time working with those young self-adulating spoiled brats, simply tells me that, almost 20 years on, Rafter is still more in touch with reality than Tomic and co. have ever been.
Chris Love
Roar Guru
It has more than worn thin on me. Tomic had he half the grit and determination of Hewitt or Rafter would be a constant top 10 player. Kyrgios on the other hand should be regularly playing semi-finals and grand slam finals. Both their attitudes suck and they're so mentally weak that unless they both sort themselves out they will not improve. Such a waste of talent.
Mukhtar
Guest
If a Slam winner like Rafter could not earn the respect, ear of the the youngsters, then what good is the management-speak that all generations are more similar, than different? Pat sounds defeated, which is so sad.. This is a pretty good crop of young, talented Aussies, but they need to stay focused, keep working hard, and I'm convinced the results will come. Kokkinakis, Kyrgios, Tomic - this should be a bunch that should send jitters through any DC opponent. At least one of these, I hope, wins a GS. Some of the gimmickery from Kyrgios, Tomic, though, is wearing thin..
Craig
Guest
I always thought Rafter was a bit over-rated as a player, and I think he achieved a lot as he wasn't the most gifted of all players. You couldn't question his effort and commitment, ever. It's also the first time I've ever heard anyone say anything other than he's a nice bloke. I've met Rafter twice and he was a great bloke on both occasions. Tomic - keep digging mate. You're an absolute joke.