There was method in Bernard Tomic’s madness to be a competitor in Channel Ten’s reality show in the African jungle.
“It gives me the opportunity to show people who I truly am,” he said.
Tomic was right on the money with his prediction, becoming the first to quit in the history of the four-series show – only three days after touching down.
There was an upside to the dramatic walk-out, with Tomic realising, for the first time in ages, he was missing the tennis court.
“I’m going back to where I belong,” he said.
But the futile exercise has cost him his greatest supporter in Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt.
“We’ve bent over backwards to help Bernie in so many ways,” Hewitt said. “At the end of the day you have to want to help yourself.”
Asked if Tomic could play Davis Cup again in the future, Hewitt’s answer was simple: “Unlikely.”
Bernard Tomic (Screenshot: Channel Ten)
It will be a tragic end if Tomic’s tennis career is over at 25.
I first saw him play as an 11-year-old, no taller than the net. He was such an obvious and rich talent. Providing he grew, the world was his oyster.
The Orange Bowl in the US is the prestige tournament for under-age hopefuls. Despite his lack of size, Tomic won the 12s, 14s and 16s in 2004, 2006 and 2007.
Even as a teenager he was brash, telling Inside Sport as a 15-year-old, “I want the serve of Goran Ivanisevic, the heart of Lleyton Hewitt, the mind of Pete Sampras and the groundstrokes of Roger Federer. I want to be No.1 in the world.”
Give him his due, as young as he was, he picked the best in the business, but fell well short in every department.
Having a father as coach and mentor, who was also a loose cannon, sure didn’t help, but growing to 196 centimetres was an asset.
Despite his ever-present problems, Tomic still has an impressive record as a Davis Cup player, with 17 wins from 21 starts. But he didn’t win any friends by predicting Australia would never win the Davis Cup without himself and Nick Kyrgios.
Nor telling reporters after failing to qualify for the recent Australian Open that he was going home to count his millions.
After Tomic left the African jungle, the remaining inmates were treated to a meal of ostrich anus.
What a bummer, the story so far of Bernard Tomic’s life.
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