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AUSTRALIAN OPENJanuary 15, 2013Bernard TomicMELBOURNE, VICTORIA B. TOMIC/L. Mayer THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. Couldn't hope for a better start. BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah, pretty good match. I felt, you know, in control the whole match. You know, off the ground I played pretty good, served pretty decent. I'm happy. Q. When you are in control as much as that, is it difficult for you to maintain the concentration that you really do need on the court? BERNARD TOMIC: It's always a challenge, and now I'm much better at it. You know, when you have the feeling that you're playing well on the court, you are in charge, you are in control, and you're winning, sometimes you're going to try a few different things and experiment. But I'm pretty sure I played pretty focused out there today and did a good job. Q. You mentioned after the match that people keep asking you about the potential third‑round clash with Roger, and you said you'd rather focus on your next opponent. Is it hard to not focus on what is coming ahead in the draw, or are you good at just focusing on what the next task is? BERNARD TOMIC: It's difficult, you know. Everyone expects and everyone draws it out before the tournament that probably we're going to meet. But you don't know. Tennis is very strange. I have learned that last year. I played a lot of strange matches and lost a lot of matches I should have won. You just don't know how you can feel. You can get sick. You know, if everything goes according to plan we should get there, but the next round I have to play a player who I don't know as well. I haven't practiced with him a lot, and it can be as difficult. He just beat the top 30 players, so it's difficult. And obviously Roger is playing Davydenko now. It's not easy. That's a guy that's also beaten him a few times before, so we have tough rounds. I've got to win next round. Q. Are you the sort of person that reads the newspapers over the next two days now and watches the television or you try to turn it off? BERNARD TOMIC: Oh, no. You know, I try not to, but, you know, I like the TV so I do happen to see stuff on there. (Smiling.) You know, you try to ignore those sort of things. I just want to focus on the next match. My main target is just playing the next match and winning. That's why I'm doing a good job the last few weeks at this. I take every match seriously. I prepare every match, I mean, as 100% as I can. Q. So your preparations have changed over past six, eight months? BERNARD TOMIC: My preparation? Q. Yeah. BERNARD TOMIC: Not so much that. Last year I was struggling ‑ we all know that ‑ but the last two months is where I have improved. I'm feeling so good out on court, and I'm going to keep this up. I like getting out on court now and feeling like this and playing and winning. It's just an amazing feeling, so I'm just going to keep doing it. Q. With this new feeling, etcetera, do you feel it's a different rapport now with the crowds, that they're really on your side and supportive of you? BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah, absolutely. You want to get the crowd engaged as much as you can. I'm going to need it for the next round. I think the crowd is an important part, especially when you're playing your home slam. It's gotten me through many matches last year and the year before, and I need them on my side. I feel I have them on my side now, and they're doing well, cheering me on. I feel great out there on court. Q. After winning in Sydney, did you feel extra pressure going into today's match? BERNARD TOMIC: No, I mean, winning there just changes me again, and it showed me what it really means to win a title and all the hard work I did. You know, now I just feel a different person getting into this slam, and I'm so confident and just want to play and give myself the best chance to win each match. Q. How are you feeling after Sydney? You had a bit of trouble in that match. It was a fatiguing sort of week. BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah, you know, I experienced, you know, five matches in a tournament, and normally I'd go down 3‑4. Playing five matches last week in Sydney was, you know, also learnt how my body feels afterward. And I feel pretty good. I'm feeling comfortable now out on court. Today I felt pretty relaxed like I haven't played the past few weeks. My body is pretty fit, and ready to go for the next round. Q. 39 degrees forecast for Thursday. Obviously hotter on court as well. Does that come into your mind at all? BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah, it does. It brings back memories too from last year. But, you know, it's going to be hot not just for me but for my opponent. I don't mind playing in the heat in Australia, especially in Melbourne when it gets hot. It's not a problem. I struggled a little bit with the humidity sometimes. The heat is fine. I hope, you know, it's hot. (Laughter.) Q.Have you been to China before? What do you want to say to Chinese audience? BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah, I did love China. I was in Shanghai this year. Got the opportunity to play it last year, as well. Played Davis Cup tie there. It's a very, very nice city, very big. You know, I think maybe this year I might look at going to Beijing and playing there. So, you know, hopefully when I come there the crowd can support me. (Laughter.) Q.What are your thoughts on some of the crowd antics tonight? Did you take notice of them? What are your thoughts? BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah, that was pretty funny stuff out there. You tried not to focus, but, you know, some of the things that people think of, it's quite funny. Q. Have you had any requests maybe for sort of a skit or something you'd like to see during your match? BERNARD TOMIC: I'm sure they'll surprise me. They did tonight. Q. For the young players in Australia, would you like to send a message to them? They want to see you as an example. What would you like to say to all of those players who want to be like you? BERNARD TOMIC: I mean, look, you've got to try and compete as best as you can and you've got to work hard, and, you know, I've only learnt that last year. Time does fly. Time flies by. You have to use every second every day. You're going to become a better player and better person and feel confident with yourself if you go through those boundaries. That's what I did. I overcame those sort of things, and I managed to put my head down and work hard. You know, for anyone that's trying to get there, you know, they'll always be an opportunity. You know, sometimes you'll need a little bit of luck. But if you knuckle down and work hard and do the right things, make the right sacrifices, then you'll get a chance. Q. Your next opponent, how do you go about getting information and preparing for that match specifically? BERNARD TOMIC: YouTube. (Smiling.) You know, I'll just see it on the Internet maybe and watch over the next few days. Obviously my dad and my team will also look at his stats and where he plays and how he's played. I think he played well one year at Wimbledon when he made the fourth round. That's all I know. I have never played or hit with him, so I will definitely study up on how to play him. Q. Is it difficult when you have little information to prepare for a match? BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah, it is. You just don't know how the guy plays. You've got to know where he serves and where, you know, where his weaknesses are. With this guy, I don't know. So I have got to look in the next day or so and give myself the best chance of playing him. Q. Talk to us about your team. You have a very close‑knit team around you. How much do they influence you? BERNARD TOMIC: A lot. I mean, I sat down after Paris ‑‑after Basel, took a few weeks off and really sat down and thought of a plan of getting the best team possible. I've got my fitness coach now. He's from Basel and he's doing a great job. You know, I spent two months with him on the Gold Coast and we worked really hard. Also my other guy Thomas is hitting with me and helping with me. And my dad is running everything, coaching me. It's just a team now that everyone is happier. I know what I want. That's the main thing. I've got great people around me who are helping me now. I think that's why I have improved, as well. Q. Seems bizarre at your age to think of someone reinventing yourself, but do you think you have done that? BERNARD TOMIC: Well, I have. Definitely when I got back, I took two, three weeks off. I might have‑‑ you know, I sat down and really said what I want and how do I change myself? Because, you know, I can be a good player always, but how do I become better and better and become possibly a great player in the future. That's the difference between what I want now and what I didn't want before. It's changed me. I feel I'm improving every day, and there is so much for me to improve. You know, I can't wait for that process. Q. Do you now enjoy hard work or is it still a burden? BERNARD TOMIC: It's still difficult, it's still hard, but you know when you work hard and you really push yourself that you're confident and you know what you've done. You know, if you can just be fitter than the other player and mentally stronger and hang in there, you never know what can happen. I do have the tennis. I can play tennis. It's not a problem about that. But I needed to build something of my own, and that's where I spent two months trying to become fitter, better, and mentally stronger. Now on the court it's a piece of cake. Q. That said, have you set a goal yourself specifically for this year personally? BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah, I want to reach the top 10. I think it's very achievable the way I'm going. I'm going to have so many opportunities, and, you know, hopefully I can win more tournaments this year. You know, I'm looking at every tournament I go into to try and win it. Doesn't matter who I'm playing, I'm going to try and win. That's why I think whoever was on my ‑‑whoever I played the past few weeks, I beat them because every match I go into I knew I could win. It's just about me committing, and I was doing that. I'm so happy with myself, and I feel like I can do it and reach the top 10 if I just do those things. I don't know when it can happen. You can't put a time limit on these things, but I know it will. Q. About that, your goal of reaching top 10, you mentioned that to Jim after the match. When did you sort of decide that and how did you come to that sort of goal? Talk us through that. BERNARD TOMIC: Well, I mean, everyone's got goals in tennis, and personally just I want to become, you know, in the top 10 best tennis players, and then potentially move myself into No. 1 in the world. That's always my goal. It's important to have steps on the way and try to reach the top 20, but I think I'm pushing the top 10. It's far, but I think it's achievable the way I'm playing. Once you achieve that I think I'm going to set new goals, but, you know, for that now, I'm going to work as hard as I can to reach top 10. Q. Do you feel like you have matured a lot not just as a tennis player but also as a person, as well? BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah, absolutely. I think, you know, off the court and on the court I have changed so much, and it's just helping me play better tennis and focus. Because sport is all about focus and, you know, who can keep the most focus. You obviously have to play, but I have changed so much, and, you know, it's made me become a better person off court and a better player on court. It's just strange how it works, but if you do put in the hard work and if you do do the right things, you know, you improve. You know, that's what any tennis player wants, is to improve. But you've got to find a way. It's not easy. It's not easy, but you've got to find a way. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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