Bernard Tomic admits he probably made some mistakes early in his career but also adds he has nothing against the media, although he believes they tend to focus on controversy and negativity because that garners clicks and draws more attention.
Over the last couple of years, the Australian – now ranked at No. 216 in the world – has been mostly grinding on the Futures and Challenger level and trying to return to where he once was. While doing so, the former world No. 17 has mostly stayed away from controversial staff and he now insists he is fully invested in his tennis career.
But 10-15 years earlier, Tomic was regarded as one of the most promising players in the game but he was also someone who was often criticized for apparent lack of effort at times. Also, some of his controversial statements didn’t help either, like when he stated that he felt “bored” during a 2017 Wimbledon first-round loss.
Tomic: Media does their business, I’m doing mine
“The media is always the media. In any country, you know, they can be a little bit funny towards players or whoever you are. It’s never gonna change, the media,” the 32-year-old told Punto de Break.
“A lot of people would rather wake up and read bad media about someone than good stuff. Bad media draws attention from people, it sells, it makes them money, it’s a business for them. I have nothing against the media. I would not change anything for them. They’re doing their business, you know, I’m doing mine.
“For sure, maybe I did some things in the start of my career that were not so pleasant (laughs), but it’s okay. I was young.”
So far this year, Tomic has four wins and seven losses.
In January, he competed at Melbourne Park for the first time since 2022. However, it was only the qualifying event, in which he was beaten in the first round.
Since 2022, Tomic has won five Futures titles and last year also finished as runner-up at the Fairfield Challenger.
