Aussie tennis legend Lleyton Hewitt has questioned Bernard Tomic’s future in the sport following his grim 35-minute capitulation at the NSW Open this week.
Tomic, 33, retired after just one point in the second set of his round of 32 match on Tuesday against Japanese wildcard Hayato Matsuoka.
Before throwing in the towel, Tomic struggled on court with an apparent leg injury.
It was a sad sight given the venue, Sydney Olympic Park, was where Tomic won the 2013 Apia International title, arguably his greatest career highlight.
Now ranked 182 in the world, Tomic has proven has spent the last few years proving he has character in addition to raw talent – but that only gets you so far on the unrelenting professional circuit.
Hewitt told reporters he has admired Tomic’s on-court tenacity, mainly playing in seemingly endless tournaments, including one a few months ago on clay in Rwanda.
Tennis legend Lleyton Hewitt has questioned Bernard Tomic’s future in the sport following a grim 35-minute capitulation at the NSW Open this week from the one-time world No.17
Tomic, 33, retired after just one point in the second set of his round of 32 match on Tuesday against Japanese wildcard Hayato Matsuoka (the Aussie tennis star is pictured, with girlfriend Keely Hannah)
With Tomic’s days of featuring in tournament main draws probably over, Hewitt – like many tennis fans – wonders what is next for arguably the biggest waste of talent in Australian sport.
‘It’s a hard one, I don’t think anyone fully knows,’ Hewitt told reporters of the one-time Wimbledon quarter-finalist.
‘I’m not sure if he doesn’t know what else to do…. or he still feels that he’s got some unfinished business.
‘You’ve got to take your hat off to him though, in terms of the places he’s gone to and the tournaments that he’s been playing the last few years, compared to where he was at – centre stage and playing the big names.
‘He’s still going out there and having a crack. ‘It’s up to him, I spoke to him a couple of times this week and he said…. yeah, I don’t know what my plans are.’
Hewitt, 44, is also featuring at the NSW Open this week, playing doubles with his son Cruz, who is a star on the rise.
In July, Tomic, who achieved a career-high ATP ranking of 17 at his peak in 2016, said he wants to finish his career ‘guilt-free’.
‘Tennis has become part of my life ever since I was seven. Obviously I had a dad that pushed me extremely hard and that’s one of the reasons I got there in a sense,’ he said on the Changeover podcast.
Hewitt told reporters he has admired Tomic’s on-court tenacity this year, mainly playing in endless tournaments, including one on clay in Rwanda
Hewitt (pictured, with his wife Bec) wonders what is next for arguably the biggest waste of talent in Australian sport
In July, Tomic, who achieved a career-high ATP ranking of 17 in 2016, said he wants to finish his career ‘guilt free’
‘It still gives me something to do. Without tennis, I don’t know what I would do.
‘My goal is to be top 100 and then I can retire. It’s more of a statement, that sort of thing, so let’s see if I can do it.
‘It (tennis) is the only thing I’m good at. ‘I’m not in my prime like I was… but that’s why I’m challenging myself to get back there one more time.
‘And then (I can) retire happy and guilt free.’
In January this year, the Daily Mail reported Tomic’s phone was reportedly seized as part of an investigation into match-fixing that focused on two tennis matches, including a headline-grabbing contest at the 2022 Australian Open during qualifying.
A police strike force was created to probe Tomic, who was never charged with any offences.
There is also no suggestion Tomic is guilty of any criminal conduct.
