WIMBLEDON, England (AP) Not since Boris Becker has a man as young as Bernard Tomic graced the green grass of Wimbledon this far into the tournament.
Born in Germany with Croatian heritage and raised in Australia, Tomic is only 18 - and in the Wimbledon quarterfinals.
What a feeling and what a tournament it's been for me,'' Tomic said after beating 2002 Wimbledon semifinalist Xavier Malisse 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 Monday in the fourth round.I'm at a position now where I've never been happier. I'm looking forward to playing on Wednesday.''
Tomic is only 29 days older than Becker was in 1986 when he won his second straight title at the All England Club. In the next round, he could face friend and mentor Novak Djokovic.
Unbelievable achievement. I feel great. Great honor to do it here in Wimbledon,'' said Tomic, who eliminated two-time French Open runner-up Robin Soderling in the previous round.I'm not going to stop now. I'm going to try my best to play on Wednesday in the quarters. I've got nothing to lose.''
Against Malisse, Tomic had 37 winners and only eight unforced errors. He also beat the fifth-seeded Soderling in straight sets.
Two different wins,'' Tomic said, comparing the last two victories.But today I was playing for a big spot. In one way they're both unbelievable achievements, but today was a win I really wanted and I prepared for well, and I played well for it today.''
Tomic's goal a few weeks ago was just to qualify, and he almost didn't make it. The Australian teen, who lost in the first round last year in his Wimbledon debut, had to save a pair of break points at 4-4 in the deciding set against Sebastien Rieschick of Germany before getting through.
But since making the main draw, he has implemented a new game plan, playing more aggressive tennis. In juniors, he said he often relied on defensive tennis.
That's where players missed, as opposed to here. They don't miss as much,'' Tomic said.I found out, look, if I really want to play against these guys, I have to relax like I do in practice. That's when I play my best tennis, in practice.''
He'll likely need his best tennis to continue in the tournament, especially if he plays the one player on tour who knows his game the best - Djokovic.
The pair share a common language in Serbo-Croatian and have hit together several times since playing an exhibition match in Australia at the beginning of last year.
He's a cool guy. One of the nicest guys out there on the tour,'' Tomic said of the two-time Australian Open champion.To play against a guy like him that's (No.) 2 in the world, it doesn't get really better than that.''
If they do face each other, it will be the second time this year at Wimbledon following a practice set before the tournament.
He destroyed me,'' Tomic said, then smiled as he continued.Things are not looking good for me, but hopefully he destroyed me then and not on this game on Wednesday.''