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BRISBANE INTERNATIONAL PRESENTED BY SUNCORP

January 9, 2016

Bernard Tomic

Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

M. RAONIC/B. Tomic

7-6, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Small margins sometimes in a match like that; two big hitters.
BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah, was a very, very tough match from the return if he was serving very good. Had some chances at that first set Love-40. I think he served two aces and one good serve on those big points.

So I think I had four breakpoints that set; unfortunately didn't convert one.

After that, I think he had two breakpoints on my serve.

I don't think there was any break points in the second for any of us.

So I feel like it was a very, very close match. He's beaten everyone in the top 10, I think. He's an amazing player, amazing serve, and truly deserves to be in the final.

Q. You seemed a little bit less up today than the other days. Was that just the nature of the match or...
BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah.

Q. Or just a bit of a come-down from yesterday? Hard to get yourself back up again?
BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah, it was a bit of something to do with the match, because it's so quick, the points are happening so quick. Everything is sort of what happening so fast.

With Kei I played many, many rallies, and Raonic doesn't let you play any rallies and he takes big chances off that forehand as soon as he sees it.

Serve is ridiculous. That's why he's gotten to 4 in the world and has won so many titles. It was an amazing match to be part of. Again, I had big chances today. I knew it was going to come down to something like this.

Unfortunately, maybe played the wrong points in the tiebreak early.

Q. How do you assess your week then as far as preparations go for the major events?
BERNARD TOMIC: I think pretty solid. Feeling good and moving well. Just happy to be physically feeling this well on court, especially looking to the years back after the surgeries and rebuilding six months into 2014 was very tough.

So I think last year on tour really proved that I can match up with the big guys. Got my fitness up. Just happy to be this fit and feeling this good on court. This week was very, very good tennis from me. I think I can improve a lot, which is the good thing for me.

Q. And now the Sydney straightaway for a tournament where you won for the first time. You'll be the top seed. How do you feel about that?
BERNARD TOMIC: Well, I'm very excited to play there. You know, I did win in 2013; also lost in the final in 2014. I have great memories on that court. It was negotiable if I was going to go if I was going to win this match today because I played so much tennis this week. I felt like I maybe needed that week off to get ready for the Australian Open.

I think now obviously being seeded 1 and not playing until Wednesday, I have to use the opportunity the next few days to get ready, and try to play well that tournament. I have nothing to lose. I can't make points for the final there, so kind of screwed.

So it becomes tougher when you get up now. I realize you have to win titles, you have win big tournaments to move up a lot. I have to go there with the mindset to win the tournament.

Q. Give us the top 16 update if Dominic loses today?
BERNARD TOMIC: Well, I worked it out. So he has to win the tournament, which I think he's losing now, so good for me. I like Thiem; he's a good guy.

But I think Benoit is playing against Stan, so that's the decider. He has to beat Stan to beat me. So I'll be following that live score very. Very closely tonight. That's for sure.

Q. Have you felt better going into the Australian Open than you do this year?
BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah, this is probably the best I've been feeling on court physically, and very confident every point I play. I played so well in the past in the Australian Open and managed to always make the fourth, third round.

For me, this is a huge opportunity now being seeded with my position. Just have to watch next week during Sydney I can do the right things to get my body ready for the Australian Open.

Q. You mentioned a bit of improvement needed. How close do you think you are to where you want to be, need to be, to beat the top handful of guys in the world?
BERNARD TOMIC: I think the sport is so dominated now, you know, Novak and Roger and Murray and these guys, that there is a huge difference. That's why they're winning Grand Slams. And not just winning Grand Slams, but winning Grand Slams consistently.

This is a tough, tough level. You have to get to that and work hard. It's not going to come today, tomorrow. It takes years. If you keep doing the right thing every day, I've learned, you have a big chance of getting closer to achieving your goal.

Q. How much time will you spend on the coast before you go to Sydney?
BERNARD TOMIC: Like maybe 20 hours. (Laughter.) I think I fly tomorrow. I have to see. Actually, I have no idea. I think it's tomorrow. Actually I think it was today. Let me see. It was supposed to be, yeah, 5:00 today. I think it was change last night night. I hope it was changed.

If not, maybe I don't get there. Maybe I walk there, though. (Smiling.)

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