Bernard Tomic is again questioning his own desire for the game, saying he got a "little bit bored" during a straight-sets defeat to Mischa Zverev at Wimbledon.
“Just couldn't find any rhythm and, you know, wasn't mentally and physically there with my mental state to perform,” Tomic said. “I don't know why, but, you know, I felt a little bit bored. To me, this is one of the biggest tournaments in the world that I have done really well, and, yeah, I just couldn't find anything. It's happened to me a lot. Just can't find anything on the court.”
The 24-year-old Australian, who has previously reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, described this lack of drive as something he has been experiencing since 2016, a period which has seen him fall from a career-high of No. 17 to below No. 60 next week. Tomic said he was not unhappy with his current position, given he had a far lower ranking when coming back from injury, but wasn't enjoying himself on court. Even seeing younger players like Alexander Zverev lifting trophies hasn't given him any more impetus.
"I have won titles in my career, I have made finals—a bunch of them," the three-time title winner said. "So I feel holding a trophy or, you know, doing well, it doesn't satisfy me anymore. It's not there. I couldn't care less if I make a fourth-round U.S. Open or I lose first round. To me, everything is the same.
"I know after my career I won't have to work again."
Not for the first time, he acknowledged that he needs to do more to achieve the potential he showed as a teenager.
"You know, I know I have to work hard," he said. "For sure I don't do the right work. You know, you need to be super fit and you have to enjoy it and you have to travel a lot.
"And I believe, you know, you have to respect the sport. But I think I don't respect it enough, yes, because I [am], you can say, super talented."
But Tomic also suggested that it will be difficult to change that.
“It's tough, you know,” he said. “I'm 24. I came on tour at 16, 17. I have been around and [it] feels like I'm super old, but I'm not. I just believe playing many years on tour now has sort of come, taken a toll. You need to find that sort of energy ... I just can't seem to find, like, the commitment to work hard, to enjoy, and to lift trophies. Maybe I have to look at a few things and maybe play less tournaments."
But Tomic said he is not considering taking a break, and also suggested that getting a coach would not help.
"Whenever I want [I can] put [together] a good team, [get] people to help me and support me,” he said. “Can get good coaches, and this is no problem for me. But I don't think I really want it, and it's a problem. I have just got to assess it. I have had four, five people on my team and stuff. Even the years I was in the Top 20 ... was all myself that pushed to succeed.”
The Australian said he plans to play a full hard-court schedule.
