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The Bernie Tomic Files will open another chapter when Australia’s biggest tennis soap opera heads to Court 3 this afternoon for a second round open from Australia meet with Canadian star Denis Shapovalov.
Nine commentator Sam Groth expects to witness a rare occasion where the normally parish Australian crowd turns on one of their own, telling Tony Jones during Nine’s coverage of the Open Australia that Shapavolov will benefit from the ugly demise of the fallen Australian star.
Australians won’t cheer on Tomic: Groth
“They’re not going to come and support Bernard,” Groth scoffed.
“They are not going to support Bernard Tomic, he has done too much to turn the Australian public against him.”
Todd Woodbridge has also been burned too many times by the former World No.17 to expect anything other than a limp effort and a crushing loss from the 28-year-old, who has long lost support from his nation.
In January 2016, at age 23, Tomic peaked in the top 20 and was seen, alongside Nick Kyrgios, as a true major winning prospect who could propel Australia into another golden era.
Three years later he started a war with Tennis Australia and escalated a horrific feud with Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt by rolling a grenade from the press conference podium following a straight sets loss to Marin Cilic in the first round of the 2019 Australian Open.
It’s fair to say he lost the PR battle badly and has barely been seen on the pitch since, torching his already shaky reputation with a series of despicable displays on the pitch that ended in flaws, while his life off the pitch has become a bizarre fascination due to his party animal lifestyle and semi-frequent run-ins with authority.
Now ranked 233 in the world, Tomic lacks years to change careers and lacks a crowd to cheer him on if he does.
“I don’t think anyone is more interested in him,” Woodbridge told Wide World of Sports bluntly.
“I think what stood out on Monday was that if [Yuichi] Sugita had been there longer, he probably would have put Bernie at fault. He’s had more than a year of flawed tournaments in his career.
“So if he wants to be a player, he has to really commit and try every time he goes out on the pitch. Because at the moment he’s only a part-time player and I don’t know. not how to say that. ” “
It’s no exaggeration on Woodbridge’s part when he says Tomic has left mid-game so many times in his career that it’s almost a year of tournament entries.
23 times his games have ended on purpose, and Tomic was the player who walked towards the net to tell his opponent he had enough on 21 of those occasions.
His ironic advance to Monday’s second round came when Japanese player Sugita succumbed to beating Tomic 3-6 6-1 4-1.
This match was played on Court 8, one of Melbourne Park’s true outdoor courts, equipped with only two cameras.
Even in a car crash, Tomic lost the ability to draw sight balls on his matches, so when his toss was drawn there was no real discussion about putting him on. on a show field or to show his game on television.
If he had attracted a healthy opponent, his tournament likely would have failed without fanfare.
So it is only thanks to the perverse sense of humor of the tennis gods that Tomic will be back in sports consciousness this afternoon, having caught one of the sport’s rising stars in his second round match. .
Shapovalov, a 21-year-old Canadian, is everything Australia once hoped Tomic would be and more. He made his way into the top 10 for the first time in September last year and according to Woodbridge he is on track to fight for major titles and has what it takes to grab a big one. part when the era of the “ Big Three ” finally comes to an end.
“Denis Shapavalov, you forget how good he is,” Groth said.
“He broke the top 10 for the first time last year, he is 12 years old in the world, there are still areas he can improve … I think he will absolutely dismantle Bernard Tomic today ‘ hui. “
Rival involuntarily roasts Tomic
A powerful southpaw who learns to harness his gifts, Shapovalov has “the ability to strike a blow that can change a game,” Woodbridge says.
Better than that, “He’s good enough at breaking through opponents by playing really solid tennis as a strong southpaw because he has the left-hander’s serve advantage which is a big factor.”
But above all, Shapovalov plays with his heart on his sleeve. Watch him during a set and you can see that he really cares about the outcome and goes out of his way to make sure he goes his way.
That’s a far cry from Tomic’s defaults and it’s the contrast that best illustrates why Shapovalov is the kind of player Australians would like to take on, while Tomic, frankly, is not.
Casey Dellacqua explained the essence of what Australians look for when they watch an athlete and why Tomic no longer hits the mark, speaking to Wide World of Sports for Morning service.
“Look, if I’m being completely honest, I think it’s going to be difficult for Bernie to have some of the Australian crowd behind him,” Dellacqua said. “He just hasn’t helped himself in the last few years.
“We’re a forgiving bunch so I feel like if he comes out and really has a crack at Denis Shapovalov some people might just get back on Bernie’s train but I think he’s going to have to do a lot more than just go over there and have a crack.
“What do we love about our athletes? We love them to go out there, do their best, have a crack. Just win or lose, go ahead and fight hard, and I think if we saw a bit of this from Bernie, it would really help with our perception of Bernie in the Australian audience.
“He has a lot of work to do, let’s see if he can do it.”
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