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BERNARD Tomic has doubled down on his controversial comments about being motivated only by money, while sadly admitting he feels “trapped” and would urge his younger self not to become a tennis player.

In a candid and wideranging interview on Channel 7’s Sunday Night, the 24-year-old Australian addressed the media furore sparked by a stunning press conference following a first-round exit at Wimbledon.

In the story, filmed in Miami where he resides in part of the year, Tomic said he had no regrets about being honest by admitting he was lacking motivation on the court and only planned to keep playing so he could retire wealthy.

'Said it to piss people off''Said it to piss people off'2:15
Tomic also refused to back down on provocative comments made after the tournament in which he declared to his critics: “Go back dreaming about your dream car or house, while I go buy them”, admitting he wanted a reaction.

“Yep, I did say that. I don’t regret what I said,” Tomic told Channel 7.

“Australians don’t like that. We don’t like those sort of comments, and I’m truly aware, and that’s why I said it. To piss a few people off.”

Asked why fans should pay to come see him play, Tomic defiantly declared: “Don’t come. Just watch it on TV.”

Tomic addressed some of the biggest controversies of his career, including his father John’s infamous 2013 assault of former hitting partner Thomas Drouet in Madrid. He claimed his father had told him the incident was sparked by Drouet spitting in his father’s face and claimed “If someone did that to me, I would have done the same thing”.

Bernard Tomic feels ‘trapped’.
Bernard Tomic feels ‘trapped’.
Source: Supplied
Tomic also took aim at former Davis Cup captain and Australian tennis great Pat Rafter, whom he’s endured a rocky relationship with.

“Pat’s said a lot of bad things about me throughout my career,” Tomic said.

“He’s perceived as a nice guy ... this image. People don’t know him He’s not that much of a nice guy. He likes to put on a show.”

Tomic said he was happy with his tennis achievements to date, despite a stunning self assessment that he’d only worked hard enough to achieve 50 per cent of his potential, but insisted he’d never deliberately ‘tanked’.

“I don’t tank. in myself, about what the score is. I get very angry, in myself, and I forget about who I’m playing. Even though I’m on the tennis court, I think about different things.”

Tomic maintained he would continue going about tennis “as a job” but appeared to get emotional when he was shown footage of himself as a child declaring he loved tennis “from the ground to the sky. It’s my soul.”

Bernard Tomic with then Davis Cup teammate Nick Kyrgios.
Bernard Tomic with then Davis Cup teammate Nick Kyrgios.
Source: AFP
He also frankly admitted there was nothing in his life that makes him “super happy”.

“I would tell me younger self, ‘don’t play tennis.’ Do something you love and enjoy, because it’s a grind, and it’s a tough, tough, tough life,” Tomic said.

“If you want the good life to come after that, financially-wise, maybe do it. But if you don’t love it, don’t do it. My position, I’m trapped. I have to do it. I like it. I’m going to continue to do it. has a choice always But that 14-year-old kid of what he wants to do. So that’s the message I’d send.

“ ... Not many things can make me super happy. That’s, you know, my honest opinion.

“I don’t like to get super happy about anything. And if I ever get the chance to, you know, win a Grand Slam, maybe only then I can truly feel... ..the feeling of being really, really happy, and knowing what you worked hard for all your career

“Maybe I can light it up and win a Grand Slam or two. So we’ll have to find out. Only time can tell.

“ ... You know, I am a normal person. I am a human. I’m not Superman. I’m not Roger Federer.

“(I hope) that people (see) I’m not that bad of a person. You now, I’m just Bernard.”

The director of the Australian Open, Craig Tiley, has reached out to Bernard Tomic as the former top 20 player faces uncertainty about playing in the first grand slam of the 2018 season.

Tomic, who has won three ATP titles during his career, has fallen over 100 places in the Emirates rankings since January. Overall, he has won 10 out of 29 matches played and has managed to reach two ATP quarter-finals this year in Istanbul and Eastbourne. Since Wimbledon, he has won only one main draw match at the Tokyo Open.



Currently ranked 145th in the world, Tomic is in danger of missing the main draw of the Australian Open for the first time since 2008. He will be hoping to receive a wildcard for the event. If not, he will have to go through qualifying.

In the midst of his lull in form, Tennis Australia has offered to provide support to Tomic if he wishes to receive any. He has been ranked as high as 17th in the world and is a former Wimbledon quarter-finalist from 2011.

“We have reached out to Bernie from a health and wellbeing point of view and it’s up to him to respond,” Tiley told The Sydney Morning Herald. “As far as a wildcard, it’s pretty early, and Lleyton (Hewitt) and Wally (Masur) will make that call and we will defer to what their decision is.
“He has been talking to Lleyton. We have been reaching out to him … he is in a tough place right now. His ranking has dropped and he is struggling – we have all seen it. Our job as a federation is to make sure we have a team of people there to support beyond tennis and that is where we are at.”

The offer of help from Tennis Australia has been met with a muted response so far from Tomic’s team. Once a rising star, Tomic has struggled for consistency in recent months. During the Wimbledon championships, he was fined £11,600 for unsportsmanlike conduct following a series of controversial remarks during his press conference. The fallout also resulted in him losing his sponsorship with Head.

“Bernie … we know the talent he has. He has certainly shown it out here. Obviously, it’s his goals, it’s his career, it’s his objectives – we are going to provide whatever opportunity we can to provide him with the health and wellbeing support,” stated Tiley.

Davis Cup captain Hewitt had previously urged Tomic to ‘work harder’ on the tour. The former world No.1 expressed frustration over his decision to skip the Davis Cup in 2017, but is not giving up hope about a future revival in Tomic’s career.

“I think the tennis community, especially Tennis Australia, would really love him to get back there because he’s a quality top-20, top-25 player easily and his goal should be to try and get into the top 10 some day.” Hewitt said in October.

Tomic will end his season outside the world’s top 100 for the first time since 2010.