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WIMBLEDONJune 25, 2014Bernard TomicLONDON, ENGLAND T. BERDYCH/B. Tomic THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. Bad luck. What was your assessment of the match? BERNARD TOMIC: It was a tough match, tough three sets. The first three sets were very, very tough. Again, I felt like I missed my opportunity in the second set, and, you know, he got the better of me in that tiebreak. In the third set, I mean, I had two set points again, but, you know, he played the right shots, played the right points to beat me. It's a bugger how he came back. You know, looking back to that match last year where I did have set points as well in that first set, as well. It's disappointing, but he is a very good player on grass, for me probably the top 3, 4 to play on grass. It's difficult. So I think once you've got in that fourth set, he's a very good frontrunner. He was just on top of me. I tried, but I just couldn't hang with him on the fourth. Q. There was a problem with the hip? What was that? BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah, I was‑‑ you know, about a 4‑all point in the third set. It was a 15‑all point. I thought it was going crosscourt and he hit it down the line. I sort of felt something in that right hip and I was scared. You know, I felt it all the way in that end of that third set. In the fourth set I was feeling it, but I was really scared. Immediately after when I was done I sort of asked what it could be, and they said it's fine. It's probably just a bit of a niggle and stuff. It's not easy having these operations and you feel something straightaway in your body on a slip like that point. So I was scared. But, you know, luckily it's not going to be too much, so I'm happy. Q. To what degree do you think that hindered you in that fourth set? BERNARD TOMIC: That slip? Q. And the subsequent niggle what you're feeling. BERNARD TOMIC: Well, I sort of felt scared. From that point I just sort of felt it. I had to go a little bit more aggressive on the returns, which I ended up playing well in those two games after. I managed to get those two set points. But then I think he had a good serve on that one. I can't complain. But on the second one I had a second serve and I took it too early. He went into my body and sort of was off balance and he hit the forehand next. I maybe should have went back on that play and hit a crosscourt. It's tennis. One point can change. I think I should have been up two sets to one even in the second set, let alone the third. He deserved to win even after that, and he played very well in the fourth. Q. Do you feel like the evidence of that match suggests that you can match up with the top players? BERNARD TOMIC: Absolutely. He's been there the last three, four, five years in the top 5, 7. He's, you know, an amazing player. He hasn't gone into that top 2, 3 group, but for sure he's right outside of that. He's beaten Roger and Novak. He's beat everyone, and he can beat everyone. You know, it was a difficult match. I tried my best. And, you know, it's only my sixth, seventh tournament. I was happy the way I was going and feeling, especially with what I had in January and February, having all those months after. Q. I think you probably slip out of the 100 because of the points you defended. What's your plan to get that back on track? BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah, I think I'm going to slip out I think some spots, but, you know, I was sort of expecting that with what I had going on in January. You know, I was trying to get myself as fit as I could to start at the French Open. I'm happy I started three weeks before that. Now it's all about‑‑ you know, I don't have that much points defend. Maybe to be in the top 50 at the end of the year would be good. Considering the months I have missed this year, top 50, 60 would be good for sure. Q. What's your exact schedule from here? BERNARD TOMIC: I think I'm going to take a few days off, maybe go back to Monaco and then go to Croatia. Maybe train, you know, hang by the sea. Have my friends' boat there. Relax five, six days and get back into training. Obviously the American tournaments are coming up. I have a little bit of points to defend. I have to get as fit as I can. It's going to be my first sort of time on hard court with my new hip, so it will be interesting to see. Q. Which events? BERNARD TOMIC: I will play Washington, obviously the Masters Series, Toronto, Cincinnati, and, you know, probably the week before, as well, in a 250. Definitely the US Open. So those ones. Q. At this point is there anything you can learn from a match like that, or is it just one of those things you move on, put it behind you? Is there anything you can take from it? BERNARD TOMIC: You just learn and you know what you did wrong. I think obviously, like I said, I played him last year and I had that similar position. You know, he got the better of me, which was a similar match. Unfortunately it happened again this year where I felt like I was on top of him the whole second set, third set, and just slipped out of my hand. I think the fitter you are, the stronger you are, you will create more chances, more plays. Obviously the better player will win in the end. Comes down to one, two points in the end and I didn't get the right points. Q. Schedule‑wise, is the plan after the US Open, will you just keep playing as much as you can? Is that what you feel like you need? You need to keep playing more matches? BERNARD TOMIC: Absolutely. For sure it's difficult when you miss three, four months. So, you know, the first sort of last five, six tournaments were up and down, but I was expecting that. You're not going to come in and win everything after surgery. So now it's all about getting back on hard court, getting those matches, feeling my body on hard court, because it's going to be a new thing for me. I have played on soft surface clay and on grass. Now it's hard court, so my movement on the hard court, for sure I'm moving and feeling better. It's getting used to your body.  It's not easy. It's a tough process. Q. Not that long ago you were potentially being a top‑10 player. Now you're talking about being 50, 60 by the end of the year. Tough year with injuries. Has this year been a lesson in learning to be patient? BERNARD TOMIC: For sure. You've got to be patient. You know, everyone is different. Everyone plays different, I think. You know, some players don't reach their full potential until 24, 25, 26. Some players don't even start playing their best tennis until the last three, four years of their career. But, you know, you obviously want to take it while you're young. You don't know what's going to happen. Obviously I was playing good when I was 18, 19, 20 and didn't have a lot to defend. This was where I didn't have a lot of pressure and I could play my tennis. You know, once I started experiencing the tournaments and defending points and pressure it was a little bit different. So I feel like, you know, for sure the talk was last year of getting to the top 10, but tennis changes all the time. You have to stay positive. Your body is your most‑‑ you know, biggest thing you have, so you've got to keep it always at 100% and be healthy as much as you can in order to play tennis and reach ‑‑for me, right now, reach the top 50, 60 by the end of the year, for sure. Q. Has it been humbling in that regard? BERNARD TOMIC: For sure. Like I said, you just don't know what's going to happen. I didn't know after the Australian I was going to have those surgeries. I started the season playing well; made the final in Sydney. You have to stay so positive. Q. Any concern today that the injury, the niggle that you're carrying, is going to delay any plans for the next tournament? BERNARD TOMIC: Well, I spoke to the physio and they said it's just one of those things where you just overfelt it a little bit. So, you know, I was scared, like I said, but it's no excuse for what happened today. At the end the better player won, but obviously I'm going to take four, five days off and right after that get right back into training. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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