2016 Australian Open: Bernard Tomic reacts to Roger Federer's criticism
Australian tennis player Bernard Tomic has hit back at Federer, saying that the Swiss ace was "nowhere near" the level of world number 1 Novak Djokovic. This was in response to Federer's statement regarding his lack of ability to finish in top 10.
During the Brisbane Open, the 17-time major winner had commented on Tomic’s inability to finish in the top 10, despite beating many of the world’s top players. “He’s been struggling to show (it), to be quite honest. Many seasons now in a row we have seen or heard that top 10 is the goal, and he’s missed out on it by a long shot,” the Swiss legend had stated about the Australian.
Tomic seemed to have kept the legend’s words in mind, and retorted during his post-match press conference, after his win against fellow Australian John Millman in the third round. "Yeah, well, he (Federer) has his predictions. I think he's also far away from Djokovic as well if he wants to say that. If he believes I'm very far away from the top 10, I also believe my prediction that he's nowhere near Novak's tennis right now," he firmly replied.
Tomic hasn’t won a single major till date.
The 23-year old has been among the very consistent players in modern tennis. But he hasn’t been able to win a single major till date, and his best performance in a Grand Slam was his quarter-final appearance in Wimbledon back in 2011.
Despite being enormously talented, Tomic is more known for his off-field controversies, which has dented his game many times. The Australian has been a part of quite a few ugly incidents which have involved the cops, both in his hometown and abroad. Due to his constant troubles, he was even dropped from the Australian Davis Cup squad last year.
The German-born player also remarked that Federer's words motivated him to perform well and he hoped to finish in the top 10 in the coming few months. "It also motivates me. I'm working for that. When I'm playing well, I'm a top-eight player in the world. My ranking has to get there. I'm going to work every day this year getting to the top 10. It's not just getting to the top 10. I'm going to get there. It's about staying there for a while. It's about being consistent,” he asserted.
Tomic faces a tough round of 16 clash, as he is set to battle Britain's number 1 Andy Murray for a place in the quarter-final on Monday. The match would also be Tomic's first real test yet at this year’s Australian Open, after his relatively easy wins in the first three rounds.