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BNP PARIBAS OPENMarch 19, 2015Bernard TomicINDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA THE MODERATOR: Bernard has had to pull out with back injury and is here to answer any of your questions. Q. Talking about your wisdom tooth, you were talking about it yesterday.  Now it's your back? BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah. I have a lot of pain today on this wisdom tooth and it's causing a lot of stuff. On the right side of my face and neck it's really inflamed. You know, I went to hit today and my back and low back felt as well I couldn't even move. On top of that, I had this pain on this side of the face, which is not very good because it's tough for me to even breathe this side, you know. I feel like I'm not functioning this side well. I'm on medication the last few days for the infected area, my wisdom tooth. I don't know. It's not something good. It happened to me a year ago. It started for about a week, the pain, and now it's happening again. It's time for me, I have to address it and probably remove it. I'm going to look to obviously try to do it the week ahead of Miami or if I can do it sometime then. We'll see the next week. Q. What is the situation with the back, though? When did that come up? BERNARD TOMIC: It was in Memphis. Memphis, lower back connecting to the hip area and the groin. I have been playing a lot of matches on it, and it's just very painful now. It was a tough match for me yesterday. I think playing last night with Thanasi under the medication that I was on, antibiotics, has made me feel like I have no energy today. The face is inflamed up even more on the right side of my cheekbone. It's tough for me to actually like even move and rotate my head at one stage, so I can't really be turning. I'm scared to run on the back, as well. Everything is not good for me. And I had to play Novak, so it's not something I want to go on court with. Q. The back issue; you just mentioned hips. Is there any correlation or connection to the hip issue from before? BERNARD TOMIC: I'm not sure. The physio on the ATP, he's been working on it as much as he could. He really told me to have five, six days off. I have played a lot of matches from Memphis finishing late there, finishing late in Delray, Saturday, and the semis of the doubles and semis of singles. Then I flew to Mexico and finished Friday I think against David at 2:00 in the morning. Had to fly to Davis Cup and we had a lot of workload there. You know, then I had to play tough matches in Davis Cup under this sort of pain in my leg, and I pushed through it, got us through. But, you know, I took it here now. The pain was within me while I started the tournament, and it just kept building. Then even now this thing happening the last three or four days is not something I want. (Pointing to cheek.) Q.Did you know this morning it was going to be impossible to play today or late call? BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah, I woke up and I wasn't breathing for some reason. I woke up choking myself. (Laughter.) It was tougher me to wake up and go to the shower. I had pain all ‑‑my eye felt like someone stabbed my eye. I just couldn't do anything. I went to hit and I couldn't run. Q. After playing almost every week this year, do you think maybe you're going to take a better look at your schedule and calm down a bit? BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah, for sure. I mean, I needed to play these five weeks and something. I needed all these points. Like you said, it's probably a rough schedule, but this last month is something I needed to get those points. I can sort of look to where I want to play more, and, you know, that's going to be the most important thing till the French, choosing the right tournaments to play. Q. Has the back been progressively getting worse since you first injured it? BERNARD TOMIC: It's been pretty much, yeah, getting a little more worse, and the fact is I have been playing every week and doing so good, playing a lot of matches and pulling up a lot of tight areas in that area. It's getting sore, and the ATP guy said you need to rest five, six days. Which is good. Now I can look to rest and look at this tooth problem I have. Because on the side of the back, the tooth is giving me more pain. It's not easy when you have two parts of the body that are like really in pain. Q. When was that diagnosed? They said for you to have the rest. Was that today? What have they been saying throughout this whole process? BERNARD TOMIC: I remember Clay, back to Delray and Acapulco, where he said maybe not play Acapulco. I went there and managed to win a few good matches and lost to David. Maybe I should have taken that week off and managed to get points there, but I'm paying for the price now. Q. Has it been worth the gamble? You're still playing. Kind of a gamble. Looking back at it now, do you think it was worthwhile or are you having second thoughts? BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah, probably having second thoughts. Maybe I shouldn't have played Mexico. Not the right thing. I should have taken the time off after Delray. It was a long week for me there. I should have taken that off to get ready for Davis Cup. I paid the price for it now. Playing against Novak tonight, it was going to be a huge match for me and huge opportunity, but it was difficult. So I feel bad. Q. Do you still plan to play Miami, or is it out of the question? BERNARD TOMIC: Well, I don't know yet. The fact that I'm seeded helps, so I don't know. I will find out by probably Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and I'll see. I'd like to play it, but if there is an opportunity to get that wisdom tooth out before Miami, I probably won't play Miami, but it will come down to next few days before I decide. Q. Initial reason indicated was your back, but if you had to suggest, is it more the back or is it more the tooth and the area around the head and all that that's the bigger issue? BERNARD TOMIC: If it was ‑‑you know, I think it's the tooth now, because, you know, I have played so much on the back. You know, obviously it's gotten to the stage where it's the worst it's been in four weeks now, especially playing three‑setter match yesterday. I think that's what made it even worse today and I could barely move. On top of that, it's been the worst day I woke up on this tooth and all the right side of my face and neck is untouchable and it really hurts when I touch it. I think it must be the antibiotics that I'm taking that's making me less, you know, energy. It's not a good feeling. You know, maybe if one of those things wasn't there I could have played, Craig, but having two is not good. Q. Where will you go now? BERNARD TOMIC: Probably Miami as quick as I can, and then look to see if there are dentists there and address this stuff and obviously take the four, five days off that was recommended for the lower part of my back and hip area. So that's going to be my key now, to see how I feel on Tuesday, Wednesday, and then decide whether to play Miami or not. Q. What's the biggest thing you'll take from this run of matches and wins going forward? BERNARD TOMIC: I take a lot. So much confidence I'm gaining the last, you know, few weeks. I'm playing very good. You know, all the matches I have played here, I'm going to use it into the next tournament I'm competing. You know, I think I haven't lost now since I played David in Acapulco where he won. I'm playing very confident, and hopefully the next time I play I can be 100% and take all the confidence what I learned in this tournament and the Davis Cup before that. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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