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WIMBLEDONJuly 1, 2013Bernard TomicLONDON, ENGLAND T. BERDYCH/B. Tomic THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. How close were you to winning that match? BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah, I was close. I had my chances. Very difficult player to play against here at Wimbledon. Obviously he's been playing very well. I feel like I had my chance in the third set, and also in the first I had a set point. Couldn't take it. Unfortunately he got me today. It was good tennis. You know, I was happy with the way I played. Q. What do you think was the difference between the two of you, if you can isolate it to one or two things? BERNARD TOMIC: I think, you know, obviously having a chance in the first set, you know, turned it a little bit around. Maybe if I managed to win that first set it could have been different. You know, I had chances in the third set, but, you know, I started to slip away. I was feeling a little bit tired out there. Tomas hitting the ball very big and low, so you have to be on your feet the whole time. I think, you know, I probably wasn't the right physical shape where I should have been maybe in the fourth set. I was a little bit tired. But, you know, that comes from playing three tough matches here at Wimbledon. You know, Tomas played very good. There was nothing I could do in the end. Q. Tomas was saying he was a bit disrupted by the speed of your play and that it took him a couple of sets to get into his own rhythm. Was that a deliberate tactic? BERNARD TOMIC: No. I think that's how I play. I think the rule now where there is time violations has got, you know, players a bit worried. I'm always thinking to, you know, once I have served and finished the point to get ready for the next point. And, you know, I have play sort of like that, really quick, so maybe he wasn't used to my tempo. He slows down before he serves and gives himself and extra four or five seconds, where I really don't. I sort of serve straightaway. Q. What do you talk away from this week as a whole, mate, considering the few months you had leading into it? BERNARD TOMIC: It's a very good week I think overall. Happy to win that first round and stuff. Anything can happen in the fifth set. You know, to get to the position where I've gotten fourth round here at Wimbledon is huge. You know, I'm still 20, so to look back knowing you've got to the quarters here and a fourth round and you're only 20 is a very good feeling. Hopefully I can keep doing well and, you know, get myself in a position to do well to the end of the year. Q. What ways do you think you're, say, better than a year ago as a player based on your experiences here? BERNARD TOMIC: A year ago I wasn't very good here. (Laughter.) I think last year I played very nervous, very defensive, and that's why I lost I think early, first round. This year I played similar to 2011. I stepped up and gave myself a chance and was very close to potentially having a chance of winning this match to getting back in a quarterfinal. But, you know, I'm very happy with the way I played this tournament. It's given me my confidence back, and I'm going to use this into the hard court season now. Q. Do you revise your rankings goals now? BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah, well, you know, I'm happy. I think maybe I will go up in the top 45, 40, around there. So it's pretty good. I have got hardly anything to defend, so the next sort of five, six months is getting ready to play at your best and giving yourself the best chance of doing well at these tournaments like here what I have done. So if I do that I think my ranking will go up very high till the end of the year. Q. What part of your game do you think you really need to work on, given your experience in the last week? BERNARD TOMIC:  I just need ‑‑ I think time is very‑‑ you know, I think I need time and experience. In every match I play now you become more experienced. You know, just obviously will come I think as you work hard, as you play more tournaments and get more experience. You know, it was my first time playing Tomas in actual match, so I'm sure down the years I will play him much more times. Q. You mentioned feeling a pinch after four tough games. If you win one of these things, you'll have to play seven. Can you get to that level of physical fitness? And if so, how? BERNARD TOMIC: I think would have won that fourth set I probably would have slowed down everything and maybe called for an injury timeout just so maybe we should have came back the next day, because I was feeling very tired. It was very difficult out there for me. Tomas is an amazing player on grass. He's beaten everyone here, Novak and Federer, himself. So probably if I had to go in the fifth set I would have, you know, given myself a little bit more time till the night darkness would have came across the court for sure. Q. Were there any times tonight when you felt you had the edge in the match? BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah. I felt like when I had my chance I didn't really get it because he came up with something good. I had in the third set break points to get up a break, which was, you know, huge. In the first set to get a set point, there was a chance there, but that's tennis. Comes down to one point sometimes. Can make the difference between losing first round and making fourth round. Q. Who do you think will win now? BERNARD TOMIC: Surprise tournament, isn't it? I think, to be honest, you know, probably Novak. Novak is the favorite now. He's obviously got a tough one against Tomas.  Not easy because playing someone that's beaten him here before. This guy can play very good tennis. So, you know, I think Novak is the favorite. I think I'm going for Novak. Q. Do you feel like the way you played this week showed you probably should be ranked a little bit higher, and is that something you will focus on for the next six months? BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah, there is no doubt about it. I think my tennis is different. Obviously when I'm playing well it's inside for sure the top 15, and I can beat anyone when I'm playing well. That's for sure. I've got to stay consistent, work hard. I have had my ups and downs the past few months. I have the next six months where I can really improve and try and do as best I can at these next, you know, four, five weeks hard court tennis. Q. Is the seeding in New York a realistic goal given the way you played this last fortnight? BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah, for sure. I think probably 10 spots off. I'm playing I think my first time is in Washington, which is a big tournament. I have nothing to defend there, so I will get ready for that, take some time off, and get some points there and get closer to getting a seeding into the U.S. Q. What are your plans? Head back to Oz or head back to the U.S.? BERNARD TOMIC: I'm not sure. I'll decide that in the next probably two, three days. You know, I'd love to go back to Australia and have some time there. You know, probably a week. But depends, you know. I've got to do some stuff back in Monaco, so I'll decide in the next few days. Regardless, I will take some time off. Q. You are often compared to Dimitrov and the other guys, Raonic. Do you read much into outperforming them here? BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah, obviously this is the most prestigious tournament we have, and, you know, this is where I have done well. I feel my best playing here in and Melbourne. I think those guys are playing very good, Milos and Grigor. I think when it comes to Wimbledon I feel good. I play very good tennis. Grass is different. Milos is more of a hard court player and enjoys playing on hard court. Grass is his least favorite surface. Grigor did well here. I feel I have done well here at Wimbledon, but hopefully I have another 10 Wimbledons to go. Q. Is your image important to you in terms of trying to prove anything to the Australian public in terms of what you're capable of? BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah, for sure. I mean, it's something I'm working on and, you know, hopefully down the years to come, you know, I can be in the top in tennis in the world and potentially win Grand Slams. That is my goal. You know, the image is very important to have, and, you know, I'm working on as much as I can. You know, at the end of the day I'm doing something what I love. Hopefully I can, you know, put a smile on someone's face, a kid that's coming through. That's always the best feeling. Q. Do you feel that you're a little bit misunderstood, that people don't understand the real you? BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah, for sure. I think, you know, they get mixed up sometimes. You know, I'm very young and I've got to the top of this tennis at a young age. I think at 18 I was in the top 45, and at 19 I obviously got to my career high. Obviously at a young age I have proven a lot. But now it's up to me to change in the next year. I and I want to win Grand Slams, so this result is obviously going to give me a lot of experience and confidence. That's what you need for becoming a top player, for sure. Q. The coaching situation with your dad and whatnot, is that going to be something you look at and reassess, or have you accepted that's how it is now? BERNARD TOMIC: I mean, it's okay. I mean, my dad was still working with me the past few weeks coaching me and helping me. I have done well here, so I'm very happy. I've got a good team of people around me doing great. I enjoy working with these people. You know, I'm going to keep this up, and hopefully the next six months can be huge for me. Q. Now that it's over, can you tell us what disguise your father was wearing at these matches here? BERNARD TOMIC: It's a bit like Where's Wally, isn't it? (Smiling.) Maybe he was there, maybe he wasn't. Who knows? FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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