Bernard Tomic’s apparent lack of respect for tennis makes it hard to sympathise with him

Bernard Tomic is bored.

By now, pretty much everyone with a serious interest in tennis probably knows that the 24-year-old player who was once hailed as the next great Aussie hope lost his first-round match at Wimbledon against Mischa Zverev 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 in just 84 minutes. It wasn’t just that he lost but the way he lost, with little effort or interest, and a casual indifference to it all that has triggered such strong reactions from the tennis fraternity.

Former Australian doubles star Renae Stubbs said to the BBC after the match that Tomic’s remarks were “a disgrace” and an embarrassment to “not only the sport, but Australian tennis”. A disgusted Brad Gilbert told ESPN, “If you go out anytime at Wimbledon and say you’re bored and you don’t want to be there, you’ve got something better to do, go take some time off and get a real job. I’m tired of your act, Bernie.”

Australian athletes are known for their competitive spirit in all sport, from cricket to swimming. In tennis itself, the country has produced legendary players who were known, above all, for their intensity. The most recent men’s Grand Slam champion from Down Under, Leyton Hewitt, who retired from professional tennis just a year ago at this very tournament, was notorious for his determination and refusal to give up during a match.

It’s no wonder then that many former Aussie greats are cringing at Tomic’s latest performance and subsequent press conference. But is it completely fair to condemn him completely without a closer look at what’s going on? Does Bernard Tomic need help?

Daddy issues

Tomic began competing on the ATP tour at age 15, which means he has already been a pro for nine years. Before that he played the junior circuit. In 2013, his volatile father John was charged with assault for head-butting Bernard’s hitting partner, who alleged that he had seen the elder Tomic hit his son until he bled. Bernie is not the first player whose career has been shaped by abusive tyrant dads. Somehow, it doesn’t seem terribly shocking to hear that the game of tennis is not a source of joy for him.

Tomic is also not the first player to act and play like he’s not highly motivated. Former world No 1 Marat Safin used to throw tantrums on court and tank matches. Tomic’s younger compatriot Nick Kyrgios has until recently been accused of having a poor work ethic and not enough drive to win big matches. When you have spent nearly your entire childhood and adolescence training, practicing and travelling between tournaments, all in preparation for becoming a professional tennis player, isn’t it natural to get a little tired of it by the time you enter your twenties?

In many of these cases, it’s also likely that they were pushed by their controlling fathers. If Tomic says he doesn’t love to play tennis, maybe it’s true. How many people out there don’t love their jobs? Should we cut him a bit of slack? Maybe what Bernie needs is a long vacation to clear his mind, and an excellent sports psychologist to help him find his motivation again. Then again, maybe that’s just wishful thinking.

Two-fold problem

The problem is two-fold. First, it’s not just about Tomic. His performance and results impact a lot of other people. As Martina Navratilova pointed out after his Wimbledon loss, “The spectators, they paid good money ... they spend good money to come here and watch Wimbledon and the guy shows up and doesn’t really show up, doesn’t try. He can’t really be bothered.”

Sport is all about competition. If one side doesn’t show up, what’s the point of watching? How, then, is Tomic’s lack of enthusiasm very different from fixing a match? In both instances, after all, the outcome is not really in question.

Here, it is worth pointing out that many of the spectators on Tuesday must have been equally disappointed. For instance, both men’s first-round matches scheduled on Centre Court, featuring Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, ended in less than 45 minutes when their opponents withdrew with identical ripcord injuries.

For the fans who had camped outside the All England Club overnight to buy Centre Court tickets for £56 (approximately Rs 4,700), it must have been a crushing blow. Without the fans, the players would not make a living playing tennis. Yet, Tomic, as well as Djokovic and Federer’s opponents, each pocketed £35,000 for their first-round loss.

In fact, a total of seven players on the men’s side retired with a pulled ripcord in round one. One of them, Janko Tipsarevic, played just five games for 12 minutes before quitting. Brad Gilbert tweeted that he was “speechless” at the thought that Tipsarevic would earn prize money for that brief appearance. He pointed out, “For the record, I played around 800 ATP World Tour matches, never pulled a ripcord once and played through a lot of injuries.” He added, perhaps in jest but perhaps not, that injured players in round one should get a doctor’s note.

What he was implying of course is that these men knew they were not fit, just as Tomic knew he didn’t care. And, yet, they chose to walk onto court, thus depriving lucky losers from the qualifying rounds from taking their place, competing better, and offering fans more value for their bucks.

Flippant remarks

The second problem is not about the tennis at all. If Tomic had only been contrite or acted like he was even slightly disappointed after his tame loss, he might not have attracted as much attention. But he chose to make flippant remarks about his performance and, like he has done before, sneered at those questioning his professionalism.

When told about a Twitter user who had called for his deportation, he said, “That’s his opinion. I’m sure he’s on the computer somewhere making $50 an hour. I’m going to play another 10 years, and I know after my career I won’t have to work again.”

When a reporter asked if he would consider returning his prize money from the match, he retorted “Well, if you ask [Roger] Federer to give back $500 million, would he do that or not?” He even confessed to having taken a medical timeout just to “try to break a bit of momentum”. While a lot of players probably do abuse this particular rule during their matches, few would come right out and say so with such nonchalance.

It is this sense of entitlement that makes it harder to sympathise with Tomic. It’s the lack of respect for the sport, for other players and for the fans themselves, that leads someone like Navratilova to say that maybe he ought to find himself another job. Speaking of jobs, Tomic’s firm belief that he is making enough money to last a lifetime might prove naive. All he has to do is ask compatriot Mark Philippoussis, another talented but underachieving player who blew his fortune and went into debt soon after retirement.

In the past, Tomic has been accused of tanking other matches, fined multiple times by police on the Gold Coast in a single day, and dropped by the Australian Davis Cup team for having a bad attitude. He is obviously a troubled young man who isn’t having much fun, at least not on the tennis court. One can only hope that those in his circle – but not his father! – can find a way to help him.

One thing’s for sure: There is nothing boring about Bernard Tomic. But, sometimes, that just isn’t enough.

Oindrila Mukherjee tweets here.