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APIA INTERNATIONAL SYDNEYJanuary 15, 2015Bernard TomicSYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES G. MULLER/B. Tomic THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. That was a really close one. What do you feel like made the difference in the end? BERNARD TOMIC: It was very close tennis and very good tennis, I think. I was trying to get that serve. He served really well. I knew it was going to be difficult. This is a player that has been in the last eight at majors I think four or five years back at the US Open. It was very difficult playing him. That serve is probably one of the best serves out there now that's left‑handed. Not a lot of guys that can play like him. I think he struggled with a lot of injuries the past few years and that is what has delayed his ranking. I think he is a top 20, 30 player. He is very good. You know. I tried today. It was a good tiebreak I thought. In the end I had a chance. But that's tennis. Ones you get those tiebreaks, ones you lose. So it's like... Q. Must be pleased with how you served as well. BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah, I think there was only one point in the tiebreak where we lost each other's serves. That was probably at the start. Other than that, I thought there was no breaks of serve in the match. Solid the way played. I played good under pressure on the break points. But it was very tough. Felt like that one point changes everything. These are the matches where you win sometimes and you lose them in these tough situations. You just got to fight. I gave myself a chance. I had multiple chances in the second set tiebreak. Kept serving too good on those points. It's a very tough serve to get back. I think it was a pretty solid match. Q. On the face of it obviously from the results this hasn't been as good a tournament as the last two years, but it probably is your better tennis than you've been playing, do you think? BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah, I played pretty good. Unfortunately lost today. I felt like this match would've been a big match for me if I got through. I would've been favorite leading into the semifinal. But I can't complain. I'm here and I picked up more points. For me, this is the biggest priority. Few matches in Melbourne will do me very good. I can get back inside the top, you know, 50 or 45. That's my goal. So I feel like I can play well down in Melbourne. Q. Is there a positive getting to Melbourne on Friday instead of just before like you have in years past? BERNARD TOMIC: For sure. I have that one, two days where I can get ready for those five sets. It's going to be important. Melbourne always play good, so hopefully I get a good draw, play the right tennis. I can do some damage down there for sure the way I'm playing. Q. The fitness showed through tonight. Talk about the stuff you did in the pre‑season, the extra work you were doing. BERNARD TOMIC: For sure I did a lot of fitness and stuff to help me be better on the court and to move better. Sometimes movement and fitness won't help you against a guy like that. It's like you got to play the right tennis. You got to return. That's where I think it's good to play these matches. It's not every now and then you play these matches, so for me to get this match like this before the Australian Open, win lose, for me it's very good, very motivating. I believe I can play very good down in Melbourne. I'm going to practice the next few days and hopefully I can get a better draw. Not like last year. Q. Just on a different note, have you ever thought about joining Twitter?  Is there a reason you're not on Twitter? A lot of people would want to see you on Twitter. BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah, but the stuff I would say on Twitter wouldn't be good. Better that I don't have Twitter. Let's leave it like that. Q. Players enjoy interacting with their supporters on social media. BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah, I think a lot of peopledo. To me, doesn't fascinate me. If I had something like that, I would say my comments wouldn't be sometimes very good, so better that I don't have it. Q.  Do you think you'd get yourself into trouble? BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah. Let's stay away from Twitter. Q. After last year at the Open in Melbourne when you had to retire the first round against Rafa, how important is it to get past a first round and maybe a second and third? BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah, it was tough. When does the draw come out for the Open? Tomorrow? Q. Tomorrow morning. Ten past ten. BERNARD TOMIC: In the morning? I'll be the first one watching that. (Smiling.) I'll be waiting for that first spot. No, for sure it's tough what I experienced last year in the Australian Open. But I think that's the worst you can experience, and I learned a lot from that. I'm a much better player, fitter, stronger. For me it's a huge opportunity coming back to Melbourne. With the right draw I can definitely do some damage and take these few matches that I had in Brisbane and the quarters here and put this all in Melbourne, I believe I can play very good tennis. I'm going to prepare as best I can and, you know, I believe I can do well in Melbourne. Q. Going to get a couple lefties to hit up with on the back courts? BERNARD TOMIC: For sure it's tough always playing those guys. There are not many people that are left‑handed, so it sucks when you get someone like this that is different. You know, that's why he's so dangerous. He hasn't been playing probably injury‑free for the past few years. He was struggling. He's a very quality layer that could have been inside the top 20. He has had injuries and he does struggle with that, so hope he stays healthy for himself. For me, I got to prepare as much as I can. You know, really put the tennis, like I said, what I used in the past few weeks into Melbourne. That's when I can play very good. Q. The injury you had last year, did that give you a sense of urgency that once you got fit you really needed to make a move? Because you were on a bit of a plateau before in terms of making your way through the ranks. Has that given you a bit of urgency to get it right, get fit, do all the right things, and really start to push ahead? BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah. Look, I'm not too worried. I've got nothing to defend for six months. Every tournament I play, if I pick up points, my ranking is going to keep going. Every match now is points for me. So until Wimbledon I think I defend one round there, so it's a long way away. I've got 15, 20 tournaments until then. I believe I can do it. If I keep playing the way I am playing like this, everything is positive, I can keep moving forward. Like you said, the Australian Open obviously was one year ago. One year ago has gone fast. But having that injury I think and having these hip problems at a young age, I had to do it somewhere in my career, and I chose to do it at the age 21. If I waited until the age of 24, 25 to do my hips, probably would've taken a year to recover. So I was happy missing five, six months. It made my hips feel more better and move better, better mobility and range of motion. So for me, everything is good now. Just happy to be playing the last four, five months. These next six months I'm going to push as much as I can. Hopefully by the time Wimbledon comes I can be seeded for the tournament. Q. First few sessions when you came back from surgery, what was it like? BERNARD TOMIC: Well, it's not easy. You know, it was very tough, but after you get through it you become a little bit more used to it, and then you feel it better. Then you can push more. You know, everything is coming along good. I can't complain. I'm very positive with the way I've done the last few months. I know this work will come, maybe not now with the result‑wise, but maybe down two, three, four months it will come. I'm going to keep working and try my best down in Melbourne for sure. Q. What are you listening to on your headphones? BERNARD TOMIC: I haven't even turned it on. Good question. I'm a hip hop fan. And R&B. I like a lot of stuff. As long as it's good and entertaining, I love it. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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