Novak Djokovic takes Australian teenager Bernard Tomic to task after Tomic said he did not give 100 percent in his 6-4, 6-0 first-round defeat to Germany's Florian Mayer at the Shanghai Masters. Tomic said he had only given "85 percent” in the second set. Tomic has expressed his admiration for the second-ranked Serbian in the past and they have frequently hit together. Tomic has a Croatian father and a Bosnian mother.
"To be honest, I don't think it's a great answer. But he will learn," Djokovic told reporters. "I'm sure that he loves this sport. I know him well, maybe more than other guys. I know he's talented. He truly loves the sport and has high ambitions. It's good to be confident, but also be modest, be aware of your abilities and also try to have results before you start speaking in the media different things. But he also has a lot of pressure from media.
He comes from a big country that has a Grand Slam, lots of expectations. He was the best junior in the world. He reached 2011 quarters of Wimbledon, fourth round of Australian Open. There's a lot of things going on there through his head. He's probably aware of the fact that he can face the big players, he can win in five sets, as he did this year in Australia. So physically and mentally he's there. But if he can do it on a regular basis, that's something that tennis is actually asking from him.”