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AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 16, 2017

Bernard Tomic

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

B. TOMIC/T. Bellucci

6-2, 6-1, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How did you assess that today?
BERNARD TOMIC: It was a good match for me. I was, you know, working hard when everybody was saying I wasn't ready and not fit. You know, obviously I proved that, you know, the first round was very high-quality tennis for me.

Yeah, so I was happy with the whole match the whole day. It was hot, but I was trying to, you know, focus on what I needed to do. It was a very, very quality match from a tough opponent in the first round.

Q. You couldn't have played much better than that, could you?
BERNARD TOMIC: I didn't play that well. I played probably 60, 70%. But just shows you how capable I am of playing well. And, yeah, I feel like I was playing definitely pretty well, solid. Not my best tennis, but I did the right work to play this tennis.

Q. (Question about opponent.)
BERNARD TOMIC: He's a top 10, top 12 player, in my opinion. I'm sure everyone can agree with me on clay he's a tough, tough player. And, you know, obviously playing on hard court, he's still comfortable on this surface. It's not a player you want to play first round.

When I saw the draw I had to play Bellucci first round, considering he beat me in Shenzhen last year, like, 2 and 3 I think, I knew it was going to be tough, so I had to put everything in and do the right things. For me, today was good.

Q. What were you most happy with? Was it your first serve?
BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah, I was. I think I saw the stats throughout the match. I was serving at a high percentage. Once I do that, I'm, you know, feeling pretty well on court and, you know, playing good tennis and having fun.

That's important for anyone, really, that's got a good serve to serve well on their day and you get a lot of free points easy.

Q. Have you been doing much work on it recently, or is it -- obviously it's been a good shot for you for a while, but is it anything you changed or worked on more?
BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah, in my career, I have always served -- I think last year I was fourth on percentage. I think Rafa was 1, Isner was 2, Nick was 3, and I was 4 on percentage first serves.

Prior to that year, when I got to 17 in the world, I was serving, as well, in the top 5 percentagewise first serves, and that's my game. If my first serve is working, then everything comes smoothly.

Today it was at a high percentage, and I needed to be, because I'm playing a very, very tough opponent first round, anybody would say.

Q. Are you fitter than people give you credit for?
BERNARD TOMIC: I think so. I think, you know, like I said before in my press conference a few days ago, I mean, my game is based on something different. You know, there are many players that are fitter than me outside of the top, you know, 170 in the world, and there are some players in front of me that are, you could say, my level of fitness.

You know, you've got to use what you have. My ability is to serve well and play my game and go for my shots and do something different towards opponents that I have always done throughout my career.

You know, obviously players like Andy, Novak, Rafa and these guys, they need to be fit. That's their game. That's why their needs are completely different. I'm 6'4". I have to play different tennis. I don't want to have a career and play until I'm 31, 32, 34, 35, and conserve as much energy as I can.

Q. Especially towards the second set when you seemed to be playing so well and hitting winners, when you say you don't feel like you played especially well, are you playing even better in practice or...
BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah, yeah. Well, I mean, after the Brisbane match, I played a bad match against a huge player in our sport, Ferrer. Unfortunately lost that.

Sydney, I played the XO. I won. Kooyong, I lost a few matches. There, I didn't take really much. It was XOs. I was just working on my things and what I needed to do to be ready here.

The last few days I was trying as much as I can to be ready. I have been doing the right things, regardless of what people say. I was trying to be as ready as I can. A lot of players, you know, thought it was going to be a tough match today. I knew if I came out playing the kind of tennis I can play, it was going to be on my side.

Q. Your next opponent, what do you know about him and what do you expect?
BERNARD TOMIC: He's a good player. I played him first time on clay. I think I lost 2 and 3 after a few months of surgeries. I played him on my worst surface.

I beat him in the semi of my second title of my career. I won Bogota, Colombia. I think I beat him 7-6 in the third. Have won one. Haven't played for about three years with him. He's a good friend of mine, and he won today in four sets.

He's a competitor and a fighter. He's in the top, you know, 170 in the world purely off hard work and discipline.

This match is going to be tough.

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