McIntyre Tennis

Does Tomic Debacle Prove That More Money Means More Problems?

After Bernard Tomic's recent straight sets defeat to Mischa Zverev in the first round of Wimbledon, The 24-year-old followed up the loss with one of the most extraordinary and frank press conferences that the sport has ever seen. 

Tomic told the press in no uncertain terms that he felt "bored" and "unmotivated" during the match, and went on to suggest that he probably doesn't respect the sport because he knows that after his career is over, he won't have to work again.  

Quite unsurprisingly, reactions were largely negative, and the Australian has since been fined $20,000 for the comments as well as admitting that he feigned injury in the match to halt his opponent's progress. Some commentators called for him to quit the sport, but former professional Australian rules footballer Adam Cooney sympathised with Tomic, suggesting that it's hard to give your all to a sport that you've clearly fallen out of love with. 

 

Perhaps even more disconcerting is the fact that a total of eight players retired injured in the first round of this year's Wimbledon alone. Roger Federer has claimed that players are acting disingenuously by not pulling out when knowingly unfit, instead turning up and retiring injured just to be awarded the princely sum of £35,000 for a first-round exit. 

It's fair to say that that while unsavoury incidents are still fairly uncommon, back in the day (whenever that was), they were almost unheard of. Compare the entertaining and often harmless antics of John McEnroe to Russian Daniil Medvedev throwing coins in the direction of the umpire's chair after his defeat earlier this week or Nick Kyrgios virtually giving up against Richard Gasquet at The All England Club in 2015, and you'd be forgiven for asking the question: is the increase in prize money throughout the sport doing more harm than it is good? If the money isn't to blame for some of the player's more petulant behaviour, then what is? 

 

On the other hand, the resurgence of the aforementioned Federer, and even to an extent Rafael Nadal, has warmed the heart of both tennis aficionados and casual watchers of the game. As someone with a wealth of both titles and riches, the evergreen Swiss star is clearly enjoying his tennis and has already managed to capture the Australian Open this year, making him the second oldest man behind Ken Rosewall to win a major crown in the Open era. 

After adding to this with back to back Indian Well and Miami Masters titles, Federer is the deserved 2/1 favourite for the Wimbledon crown in the tennis betting and certainly looks good to add to his already impressive seven Wimbledon titles. After skipping the entire clay court season in order to recharge for the grass courts, Federer is the embodiment of the ultimate professional and the antithesis of the attitude displayed by some of the other more controversial figures on tour. 

One would like to think that the fines being handed to players in serious breach of the rules will act as deterrents with regards to future behaviour. However, with a total prize pot of over $40m at Wimbledon alone this year, a $20,000 fine here and there really won't make much of a dent in the bank balances of most players inside the top 50. 

Tomic himself has earned almost $5m in prize money at the age of 24 while tennis's perhaps most controversial figure, Kyrgios, has earned almost the same amount at the tender age of 22. In light of recent events, one thing is for certain: tennis is in need of players like Federer and Nadal who are still playing the game with genuine love and enthusiasm well into their 30s, and the younger players could do worse than follow their lead in this regard. 

Day One Delivers at Rogers Cup

By Mike McIntyre

The Rogers Cup had the odds stacked against them as play began today in Toronto. A somewhat subdued vibe lingered in the air due to the uncertainty of Andy Murray’s status and the already known absence of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Murray, fresh off his gold medal in London, stated today that he would appear in Toronto but would have to see how he felt once on-site before committing to playing. It was not a scenario that tournament sponsors and organizers were happy about and yet one that was to be expected due to the abnormally hectic summer scheduling caused by the Olympics.

Indeed there were sparse crowds for the daytime session despite some beautiful weather and the fact it was a holiday for most here in Ontario’s capital city. The tournament cannot really be faulted for this sluggish start however, as the top sixteen seeds all enjoy a first round bye and other big players like Tommy Haas and Alexandr Dolgopolov still had to make their way here from Washington D.C. where they just wrapped up the Citi Open.

Despite these hurdles, there were some interesting story lines to follow here at the Rexall Centre including some Canadian talent for the home crowds to get behind. Here’s how day one unfolded:

Action started on Centre Court at 11am ET with Frenchman Jeremy Chardy extending American Donald Young's epic losing streak to sixteen matches with a 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-0 victory to open play. Young collapsed after losing the second set in a tiebreak and revealed the fragile nature of his mental game which can be easily understood for a player who has not won a match on the Tour since February. He now stands just five losses away from tying retired countryman Vince Spadea for the all-time losing streak on the ATP World Tour at 21 consecutive matches.

After the match Chardy was asked if he was aware of the magnitude of his opponent’s stretch of bad luck. “Oh, sixteen is a lot. I didn’t know that. I know he lost many matches on first round, but not sixteen.” When asked about the longest drought he had ever experienced he half-joked by saying, “I don’t know. I prefer to forget it.” No doubt Young will also be hoping to forget his most recent setback and try to cling to the hope that better days are ahead. At only 23 years old, it sure seems the American has endured and created more than his fair share of hardships as a professional tennis player.

In the afternoon big-serving Michael Berrer of Germany provided some mid-match trouble to promising nineteen year-old Aussie Bernard Tomic before falling 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. Berrer impressively carries his 220lb frame around the court and at the age of 32 used his experience to push the match to a third set. As for Tomic, he certainly does not play the way you would imagine someone of his own generous stature of 6'5'' and 201lbs. He tries to take the pace off the ball rather than playing the power game you might expect. It worked for him today against the 131^st ranked Berrer, but might not be as effective against his next opponent – Novak Djokovic.

Next-up on the main court was some Canadian content with Peter Polansky, ranked 157^th in the world, taking on Matthew Ebden from Australia. Both players are 24 years of age, but it is Ebden who has made more of a mark thus far on the circuit. Both players received some help to get into the main draw of the event, with Polansky receiving one of four wildcards from Tennis Canada and Ebden receiving a lucky-loser designation after losing his final qualifying match but replacing Feliciano Lopez in the draw after the Spaniard withdrew.

Ebden was certainly playing the part of the loser well at the start of the match as Polansky cruised through the first set by a score of 6-0. It was not as much due to the Canadian’s play, but instead Ebden’s own inability to hit a tennis ball inside the lines of the court. As Polansky said after the match, Ebden, “was missing almost every single ball.”

Despite having a chance to break Ebden in the first game of the second set at 15-40 on the Australian’s serve, Polansky would lose the game and spiral downwards from there. The Canadian seemed to suddenly get tight and did not resemble the player who enjoyed so much success here two years ago in an opening round defeat of then 13^th seeded Jurgen Melzer. Ebden picked up his game sensing the fragility in his opponent and would carry that momentum forward for a 0-6, 6-4, 6-3 win.

Polansky did not hold back after the match in assessing his disappointing performance. “…it’s very frustrating, especially having a big tournament like this, such a great opportunity. Just wasn’t able to perform today.” When asked what part of his game needed he work he conceded, “…I’ll probably say everything.”

Canadian tennis fans hoped that Vasek Pospisil would be able to reverse their country’s fortunes in the opening match of the night session. Up against consistent veteran Andreas Seppi, Pospisil had a match that was certainly within his promising capabilities despite his opponent being currently ranked 28^th in the world.  

Instead the hardships for the Canucks seemed to continue with Seppi taking the first set 6-4. Even with the bigger serve as a weapon, Pospisil’s control of his groundstrokes could not match the Italian’s in that opening frame.

Pospisil would not give-up despite the early setback, and he would take the second set by the same score to settle the match at one apiece. In the final set Pospisil would break his opponent early and then consolidate his serve to go up by a comfortable 3-0 margin.

Later Seppi would break his way back into the set but while serving at 4-5 he would allow Pospisil two chances to take the match at 15-40. Unfortunately the home crowd would groan twice as their young hopeful could not close it out.

Both players would hang-on to their last service opportunity with ease to force the deciding tie-break. This is where we would find out what Pospisil was made of. Could he block out the missed match points and maintain his composure in front of such a nervous crowd?

Pospisil dictated most of the points in the breaker and was up 6-3 after a timely ace. Seppi would then hold his serve in consecutive points giving Pospisil his third match point of the tiebreak and on his serve. A missed forehand by the Canuck would prolong the tension but he wouldn’t miss his next chance with Seppi serving at 6-7. Pospisil would complete the upset to the delight of the frenzied crowd by a final score of 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(6) to advance to the second round.

After the match ended the satisfaction within Pospisil was obvious as he gushed to the crowd before leaving the court. “It’s incredible to come here and play in front of my home crowd…I’ve been looking forward to this all year.”

There will be more to look forward to tomorrow as he will face seventh seed Juan Monaco in the late afternoon/early evening on the Grandstand Court.

Other Canadians up tomorrow include Frank Dancevic and Milos Raonic. Dancevic opens play against Mikhail Kukushkin at 11am on Centre Court, while Raonic will entertain the night crowd at 7pm against Viktor Troicki in the first second round match to be played on Centre Court. Troicki advanced today with a 6-4, 7-6(5) win over Russia’s Alex Bogomolov Jr.

Check back with us at ProTennisFan for full coverage of the Rogers Cup here in Toronto. You can also follow us on Twitter for regular updates of the daily action.

Who Is Bernard Tomic?

By Mike McIntyre

Since reaching the quarter-finals of his first Grand Slam tournament at Wimbledon, many tennis fans have been wondering who exactly is Bernard Tomic? Here's a look into a rising star on the ATP World Tour who appears to be on the cusp of breaking into the upper echelon of the men's game.

Ranked 158th in the world at the moment (although shooting into the top hundred is an inevitability) Tomic was born in Stuttgart, Germany to Croatian parents. Tomic grew up in Australia where he has lived since he was 3 years old.

Tomic stands an imposing 6'4'' but weighs a mere 170lbs and he turns 19 in October. Coached by his somewhat controversial father John Tomic, the youngster lists grass as his favorite surface on the tour website, a fact that now seems to make perfect sense.

Tomic won the 2008 Australian Open Junior Boys Championship as a fifteen year old which made him the youngest to ever win the event. In 2009 he won the U.S. Open Junior Boys title.

When Tomic made the third round of the Aussie Open men's event in 2010 it marked the first meaningful results on the pro tour. While he was eventually defeated by Rafael Nadal in straight sets he still managed to beat two top-fifty players in the opening rounds against Jeremy Chardy and Feliciano Lopez.

This year, Tomic reached the semi-finals of the grass court tune-up event in Nottingham before losing to Dudi Sela and now has advanced to his first ever Grand Slam quarter-final where he will face second ranked Novak Djokovic.

While Tomic has never played his next opponent Novak Djokovic in a regular tour match, the two did play at the 2010 Kooyong Classic exhibition tournament in Melbourne. In that match, Tomic prevailed by a score of 6-4, 3-6, 7-5.

At the time Djokovic said that, "He is a very talented player. He's only 17 years old and he's got the shots, he's got the weapons, definitely."

Tomic has defeated some big-time players at this year's WImbledon. In succession he has sent Nikolay Davydenko, Igor Andreev, Robin Soderling and Xavier Malisse packing. Davydenko was until recently a permanent fixture in the top-ten. Andreev has had always been a tricky player and had made the final sixteen at Wimbledon before. Soderling is the first top-ten victim that Tomic has claimed in his young career and Malisse is a seasoned veteran who has always been quite comfortable on grass and made the semis here in 2002. In other words, nobody should count Tomic out against his next opponent, despite the fact that Djokovic has only lost once this year.

Tomic's young career has not been without controversy however, as evidenced with his long-standing feud with Lleyton Hewitt. Australia's foremost tennis player of the past ten years had a falling-out with his heir apparent here at Wimbledon in 2009. On the practice courts that year, Tomic's camp apparently snubbed a request from Hewitt's entourage at a hitting session. It was alleged that Tomic's agent made a comment to the Hewitt group that the veteran was, "not good enough" to hit with the youngster. 

Australia's current David Cup captain, former tour stalwart Pat Rafter, expects the two to repair their rift as they both represent their country in a Davis Cup tie against China next month.

"Once you get into a team environment everyone bonds because everyone has the same goals, representing your team and that is Australia," Rafter said. "That will not get in the way of anything else. I have had my problems with players in the past. I have had disputes and then we go out and play Davis Cup the next week like nothing ever happened. That is the way it should be and that is the way it will be I am sure when they get together."

While it seems likely to be a case of Tomic's team and his sometimes outspoken father John being behind the apparent rift, Tomic is young still and should be judged for his on-court results. Those are clearly starting to ramp it up and along with Canadian Milos Raonic it is nice to see some new faces emerging on the ATP World Tour who we can look forward to watching grow in the year's to come.

Regardless of the result against Djokovic, Bernard Tomic has arrived. On Wednesday we get to find out just how much more he is ready to show us at the moment.

Wimbledon Quarterfinal Preview

By Mike McIntyre

As expected the top four of Nadal, Djokovic, Federer and Murray have advanced to the final eight at Wimbledon. If Nada's foot is ready to go I think we'll certainly see another Grand Slam where the top guys are left standing in the semi-finals this weekend.

Nadal (if healthy) should be able to deal with Mardy Fish. Although Fish took out last year's finalist Tomas Berdych in straight sets, he has a daunting 0-5 career head-to-head with the world's number one player.

A positive for Fish is that the pair have not faced each other in nearly three years and I think we can all agree that Mardy has come a long way in that time. He is truly deserving of being the number one ranked American and will move up to a career best of 8th in the world when the new rankings are released next week.

British fans must be content with the performance of their man Andy Murray. He played superbly on Monday in front of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and defeated Richard Gasquet in straight sets. Murray faces third-time Wimbledon quarter-finalist Feliciano Lopez who has been serving great during these championships but just came through a tough five set match victory against Lukasz Kubot. Lopez trailed by two sets but was able to claw his way back into the match and prevail.

Lopez is 0-4 against Murray and has only taken one of nine sets off him in their previous matches. This will be their first encounter on grass and I don't see how Murray will not be able to quickly dispatch his opponent in this one.

Roger Federer just made his 29th straight Grand Slam quarterfinal and appears to also have the upper hand against his next foe in Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Federer leads their career head-to-head by a margin of 4-1, with the only loss being a tough three set affair in Canada back in 2009.

Federer lost his first set of the tournament against Mikhail Youzhny in the round of sixteen before correcting for a 6-7, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 victory that took three hours to complete. A day of rest should put him back to tip-top shape against Tsonga.

Novak Djokovic meanwhile has also been looking quite solid on grass and takes on the surprise of the men's draw this year in 18 year old Bernard Tomic of Australia. Tomic becomes the youngest player to reach the final eight at the All-England Club since a man by the name of Boris Becker back in 1986.

Tomic, who made it through qualifying, had this to say about his improbably run so far here this year:

"I never thought I'd be here the second week, especially in the quarter-finals. What a feeling and what a tournament it's been for me. It's an unbelievable achievement. I've learnt a lot. It's a great honour to do it here in Wimbledon. I'm at a position now where I've never been happier. I'm looking forward to playing on Wednesday."

Djokovic has never faced the young Aussie before which likely benefits Tomic. Still, with only one loss all season long I expect that Djokovic will dispatch his challenger and advance to a meeting with Federer that no one more than he himself is looking forward to with more ambition.

Stay tuned to ProTennisFan for regular updates as the men's draw nears its penultimate match this coming Sunday.