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AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 19, 2009

Bernard Tomic

MELBOURNE, VICTORIA

B. TOMIC/P. Starace
7-6, 1-6, 7-6, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What does it mean to you to be the youngest winner here in a match?
BERNARD TOMIC: Tough ask. But, you know, it's a dream come true to win a first round in my first Grand Slam. I'm just thrilled that I could pull off a win today.
With the crowd behind me, it was an unbelievable experience, so...

Q. You were quite emotional at the end tonight.
BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah, I was. I mean, it's the first Grand Slam. You know, to have match point, or be close, it's tough. If I had lost that fourth set, I would have been disappointed.
But I was happy I won the first two tiebreakers. Got a lot of confidence, so it was good.

Q. How were the nerves today?
BERNARD TOMIC: It was good. It was good today. I was happy today. No nerves pretty much going into the match. I was just happy that I could get off to a good start really.

Q. The crowd was so loud. Did you feel any pressure at any stage from them?
BERNARD TOMIC: Not really. They just lifted me even more when I needed it. That was the main thing. If the crowd wasn't there, I wouldn't have pulled it off in the end. It was good for them to be there. Hopefully I can have a better crowd in the next match.

Q. You seemed mentally strong. Where has that come in the last year?
BERNARD TOMIC: A lot of hard work (smiling).
No, that's a new area I've got to work on. There's a lot more areas I have to work on. But I'm happy I won today. Hopefully I can to it again in the next match.

Q. How important was the hit up with Rafa Nadal for you?
BERNARD TOMIC: Good. Gave me a lot of confidence. Might have done it, you know, without him. But I don't know. It was a great hit, to hit with the No. 1 in the world. It's a great experience. I was just happy about that. Happy now that I won.

Q. Talk about your next match. Muller was out there for five and a half hours. Is that encouraging for you?
BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah. Five and a half hours, that must be long. No, I'm going to go into the match confident. Have a good match under my belt already. He's going to play a game that I don't like. If I can step out there and play good tennis, hopefully I can get through.

Q. What don't you like about it?
BERNARD TOMIC: It's the serve-volley pressure that he's going to put on me. If I return well, who knows, it can go either way.

Q. How are you feeling? Spent a long time out there for yourself.
BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah, good. If it had got to the last set, I reckon I would have had the advantage because I was feeling all right. Just the heat at times was a bit funny, so...

Q. I think you said about a month ago you were struggling with your fitness. What have you done in the last month?
BERNARD TOMIC: I must have been lucky today to be fit and to get through, 'cause, like I say, anything can happen in the fifth set. I could have started cramping, anything.
But I was just happy to win in the fourth set. That's it.

Q. Did you see Brydan won as well?
BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah. I was watching his match as soon as I finished on TV. Well done to him. Hopefully we can get off in the next round.

Q. Have you played in sunglasses before?
BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah, it's the sun that's been killing me the last few months around Gold Coast and Queensland. I've started using them a little bit more. It's good to wear them. It protects your eyes, so it's good.

Q. It's something you've become used to?
BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah, well, the sun's really bad here. You can't see your ball toss when you're throwing it. To have sunglasses is pretty good for me, I think.

Q. Do you think Starace showed your backhand enough respect?
BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah, I mean, I hit it down the line whenever I needed it. That's what got me through in the end. You know, I think all the tiebreak I finished it off with a good backhand. Especially the last point of the match was when I needed it, too.

Q. It's been a good day for Australian tennis after the criticism its had. Do you think the criticism has been fair?
BERNARD TOMIC: That's not my business to deal with. I'm just happy I got out there and got the opportunity to play with a wild card. Now I'm through. Things are getting better. So hopefully I can keep going well.

Q. With the winning, do you feel there is good stocks in Australian tennis coming through?
BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah, the win that Brydan had as well, we're all going well. But now in the second round, hopefully we can win again.

Q. How about the prospects of possibly playing on Rod Laver Arena?
BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah, I played on it before, juniors. But playing a men's match there, it's going to be unbelievable if I get the chance. We'll have to wait and see.

Q. You look and play as if you're very cool on an extremely hot day. Are you as cool inside as you seem to be?
BERNARD TOMIC: Not really, no (smiling). But it's something I don't like to show my opponents. It's good to have that ability.

Q. Been a lot of pressure on you as Australia's next great hope. You handled that well today. Are you ready to continue coping with that sort of pressure?
BERNARD TOMIC: I am. I mean, anything can happen right now. I'm in the second round. You know, who knows, I could get through.
But the guy is a great player. He's got to the quarters of the U.S. There's not much I can do if he's serving bombs, so we'll see.

Q. What were you feeling in the fourth set when you had two set points?
BERNARD TOMIC: I was just like, Make it somehow. Just hit a backhand down-the-line winner on one of them. I managed to do that, so I was happy (smiling).

Q. How do you feel about the pressure, being in your home slam and that sort of stuff?
BERNARD TOMIC: It's a big feeling to play a Grand Slam, my first one. It's a great experience. Nothing could be better than winning a first round in your first one. That's it.

Q. Do you enjoy that type of pressure? Thrive on it?
BERNARD TOMIC: I do. I do.

End of FastScripts

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