Bernard Tomic is still a top prospect, says fellow Australian Lleyton Hewitt.
Tomic, 22, who fell outside the Top 120 this past July amidst a return from double hip surgery and reports of poor training, finished the year at No. 56, winning a title in Bogota and reaching the semifinals of Vienna.
"I knew he'd bounce back at some stage. Bernie's a unique player, he's a unique person, as well," Hewitt said to the *Melbourne Age*.
Tomic should keep climbing next season, said the former No. 1, who was once at odds with the up-and-comer but has since formed a friendship. "The last couple of years I feel like I've got to know Bernie a lot better, and we actually get along really well," Hewitt said.
"I'd probably say that I'm one of the closest guys that he goes to now, which is good. We practise a lot together and the next couple of years I'd like to help him out, while I'm still out there and playing. But I think once his hips and body get fully to 100 percent again, he's still gonna cause a lot of guys trouble. Bernie will still make statements."
Tomic took on Xavier Malisse as a coach during Vienna but will not keep working with him, preferring to go back to his father. Asked about Tomic's training, Hewitt said, "It's hard to say, because I don't see him on the practice court, I don't see what he does in the gym, and he hasn't been at the last two Davis Cup ties for me to see him close-up, either, but that's one area that he can definitely get better."