Australian star Bernard Tomic admits he shouldn’t have made his notorious rich-boy boast but refused to backtrack entirely from the remarks which also led to him snubbing the Olympics.
The 23-year-old breezed past Brian Baker, the 662nd-ranked American, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 to reach the second round of the French Open yesterday.
But his first victory on clay this season was overshadowed by his ongoing problems. His decision to skip the Olympics came after he was widely lambasted for his poor form over the European spring where he had played four claycourt tournaments and lost in the first round every time.
He made headlines in Madrid when he turned his racquet the wrong way to face a match point against Fabio Fognini.
Tomic later told his post-match news conference: “I don’t care about that match point. Would you care if you were 23 and worth over $10 million?”
It prompted Australia’s Olympic chef de mission Kitty Chiller to call his behaviour “appalling”.
“I would love to say I have ten million US dollars, but maybe ten million Australian,” said Tomic yesterday.
“Yeah, I shouldn’t have said that, but that’s in the past. That was my fault. You got me there.
“I was just in that moment. I just said that and I was talking to my friends about some things, so it just sort of came out.”
However, he added: “I don’t really care – maybe if I had 100 that’s different.”
Dubbed ‘Tomic the tank engine’ by sections of the Australian media, Tomic lasted just eight minutes in his opening clash at the Rome Masters earlier
this month, retiring after a medical timeout when leading Frenchman Benoit Paire 2-1, saying he had been “feeling bad all night”.
World number one Novak Djokovic, a potential last-16 opponent at the French Open, blasted Tomic for being immature and lacking commitment.
Ironically, Tomic has been hitting with Djokovic – a neighbour of his in Monaco – in practice in Paris.
“I was practising with a lot of quality hits. Novak a few days ago. Good to see and get good rhythm,” he added.
“Playing bloody well, so I think the week I had training prior to this has given me the best chance to feel good.”
Tomic made the Wimbledon quarter-finals in 2011 as an 18-year-old but has been unable to push on.
Injury – as well as on and off-court problems – helped push his ranking down to 130 in 2014.
But he insists he can be a top-five player as long as he can ignore the sport’s many distractions.
“I don’t need to train much to be where I am, 30, 20 in the world. I always have the talent,” said Tomic.
“If I want to get more in my career and life, I have to be 100% in everything. You have to give 100% all the time and compete all year. That’s been one of the things I’ve probably been struggling on prior to this year.”
Tomic will take on Croatian teenager Borna Coric for a place in the last 32.