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WIMBLEDONJuly 3, 2015Bernard TomicLONDON, ENGLAND N. DJOKOVIC/B. Tomic THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. How was that for you? BERNARD TOMIC: I played okay. He was playing very good. You know, it just shows you why he's the best. Those tough games, the score looked a lot closer than it was. It was very close in moments, but somehow in those big points he just gets that... I can't even describe it in words. Too good, too good. To get to that level, you need to work hard. Q. What lessons do you take away from the experience today? BERNARD TOMIC: I learn a lot every time I play Novak. It's a great honor. That's why he's the best player in the world. Now it's at the stage where I am, to be 20 in the world or to be in the top 5, 6, I have to work hard, there is no doubt about it. That spot, top 4, 5 is a lot of work to do, but it's possible for me. But I need to work hard. It just shows you what he can do on the court. That is, that I'm missing, obviously I would say I played the power game, served well, and obviously don't have the speed yet and anticipation and the balance, which I think nobody does have it like him. Unfortunately I have to work to get a little bit better in that area.  I felt it was close every game, but the score, he just killed me today. Q. (Indiscernible.) BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah, absolutely. If you can now play them in the fourth round, it would be better. Saw Nick today, played very good against Raonic. He played a good match, and now he has an opportunity to make another quarterfinal. He's, I think, playing against Gasquet. It's that section of avoiding the top 8, which is very important. Now it's that step of me getting in that seeding so I can avoid these top players and maybe playing them in the fourth round. I have got a good next four or five months where I can play well, and, you know, I'm looking forward to the next four months. Q. How far do you think he can go here? BERNARD TOMIC: I mean, he's a great guy, so I'd love him to do as best as he can. I want him to win this round. It's going to be tough because he's I think obviously played Richard and lost last time. He's obviously won here at Wimbledon where he won a lot of match points. For him it's difficult because Richard is playing very well, but if he can make that third quarter, it's huge. It will be interesting. A lot of people will get behind him. I want him to win against Gasquet it's going to be tough for sure. He needs to take what he learned last year into this match. For him to win after that, he can we relax and go for it. When he's relaxing and going for it, he's a good player. Q. You have been hitting with him. What's it been like? BERNARD TOMIC: Oh, man, I think Nick and I are the same. We're strange, in different ways. He's a great kid. I love him a lot. We are good off court and we practice well. Sometimes the practice is a bit unusual, you know. We are all serving aces and it's not even practice, you know. It's just go through the motions. Q. You had a few sort of struggles. Is it a matter of Nick just winning to win over fans and winning matches and Australian public can be fickle at times? BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah, it can. But I think there is only so much that the fans can help you. I mean, fans are not going to help you when you are playing Novak. They can help you a bit, but without the work and effort, you know, Novak has put in the last seven, eight years and all his career, you need to get to that level. I think the crowd can help you, the support behind can help you a bit, but to beat these sort of players, you have to work hard. Q. Is your schedule unchanged? Still go to Newport? BERNARD TOMIC: There is some stuff I'd like to talk about. I was waiting for the right time. Now that Wimbledon is over for me, look, it's very interesting what's happened the last month. I always wanted to play Davis Cup. I'm going to. I'm going to go down there and play for the respect of Davis Cup, for the respect of the Australian public, for myself, and mainly for the respect of, you know, Lleyton and the team. You know, it's interesting what's happened the last week that Nick wasn't going to play, as well. You know, I was not going to play. He said, If you don't play, I don't play. It was interesting now looking at this, we are in the quarterfinals of a stage, and, you know, we are sort of about to pull the pin. There is a lot of stuff that's involved now that I'm very disappointed in which I'd like to talk to you guys about. Personally inside it's been very difficult for me the last year or so in the Tennis Australia group. So it's interesting how it's changed. You know, obviously people and all, and Pat, obviously the problems, people think I'm at war with Pat Rafter. It's not true. Pat is a nice guy. If the Australian public don't know Pat, he's a good actor, he's well‑spoken, always prepared and knows what to say. He's prepped by Tennis Australia to know what to say. He's always ready to fire back questions that we answer to. You know, behind that I think very disappointed in Craig Tiley in Tennis Australia. He's the reason the last few years, it's been up and down for me. There has been no lack of support towards me. There has been no respect I think towards me. It's been difficult, you know, been good player the last three, four years coming up, and, you know, people expecting a lot from you. All of a sudden, things started changing after I had that surgery. You know, I didn't get one phone call from Tennis Australia, Can we help you, Bernard? Can we do this? Do you need something? You know, Can we give you something? Nothing. No phone calls were there. You know, I was on my own and felt really bad to such a high level as Tennis Australia, who supported me along the way very good. You know, don't get me wrong. From what Pat said, a lot of money was invested in me, for sure. But whatever they invested in me, they got in return 10, 20 times more. That's 100% certain. Now all of a sudden, they are neglecting me, for some reason. They are not supporting me, not respecting me. I give you an example. I will ask you a question, Darren. This year before Brisbane, 10 days before Brisbane, the rains started on the Gold Coast. I went to Royal Pines, which is an undercover court to practice. Got a call from Tennis Australia, You have to pay for your own courts. Now, I thought it was funny. You know, okay, okay, I paid the court, no problem. So rains started again. Maybe I go up to Pat Rafter Arena and practice there. Went up there, organized. 10 days before, nine days before. Practice and stuff. Guy coming to me, You have to pay the court and balls. Do you think that's fair? Honestly, Darren? Q. Probably not.  Certainly not at Pat Rafter Arena. BERNARD TOMIC: Certainly not. That's where things started changing. I couldn't believe it. I took the receipt. Whose information was it through Tennis Australia? Pat and Craig. What's going on? Where is the support? How can you do this? It's not about the money. It's about the respect. It's like... Meanwhile, we are buying these players overseas, doing this, doing that, buying players instead of supporting us, junior players, giving them something, or stuff like me, I have to pay for a court? In Australia, how is that possible? You understand. Now, why I have to play Davis Cup for these people and administration down there, Tiley and these guys. Ever since he came in, he knows how he got in. In a sneaky way he got his position and only he knows himself how he got this position. Everything started changing and stuff. No one is mentioning him. He's doing a lot of stuff. They are holding so much money down there, and doing what they want, increasing their salary, this, that, giving Pat a salary, it's like saying, Here, Pat, here's a salary. He doesn't know what he's doing. They are giving him a budget. He doesn't know what he's doing. What's his job? Deal with it, Pat. You're the mask. He's a mask for these guys, Craig and Steve. They don't want to deal with this. They give it to Pat. You do the work. You take care of this and that. He doesn't know what he's doing. It's crazy. Meanwhile, he's charging me for balls. Charging me for balls and court at his own arena nine days before. What's he doing? I don't understand. Where is the support? Where is the respect, you know? Why I have to play for them, for these guys, these sort of people? The respect and the attitude, they are starting... I will play, I will play. I will go down. I have the respect for Lleyton. The respect for the legends, Tony Roche, Laver. Not for Tiley, not for these guys. I don't think what they are doing, it's not good at all. Q. If Nick said he was going to play, would you have gone to Newport instead? BERNARD TOMIC: I obviously had that wild card there. I wasn't sure really. It was tough times, you know. Obviously I did get that wild card. I'm going to say no to that. I'm going to go down there because I believe we can win. I believe we can get into that semifinal spot, potentially have a chance of making the final of Davis Cup. But, you know, I love Davis Cup. I respect it from my heart. My record is 14 and 2 or 15 and 2. Probably a top two or three records the last three or four few years.  I enjoy Davis Cup. I enjoy it so much. Why? I don't understand. Like why now has it changed? It's really these guys in Tennis Australia, someone needs to go investigate them, what they are doing and where that money is going. It's horrible. Where is the support towards me and my family? You know, what I mean? How much money they have made on me or this and that the last three or four years. You have to pay for the court. Where is the respect? Hello? It's changed, guys. It's changing. People need to start investigating these guys down there. Q. Have you told Newport yet, Bernie? BERNARD TOMIC: No, I will call, though. I'm going to play Davis Cup because I want to win. I want to play for the likes of Lleyton and Nick. I want to win. I believe we can win. But really, guys, you should be aware these guys down in Tennis Australia, Tiley, Healy, these guys, no one knows what they are doing, but they are doing not so good things. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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