Apathy has got to be one of the worst attributes a player can exhibit, especially when it’s one who has so much unfulfilled potential.
There are many things a tennis fan can forgive but not trying hard enough to get a win is probably not one of them.
World No. 22 Bernard Tomic returned from wrist injury on the clay of Bucharest three weeks ago and the 23-year-old Aussie hasn’t won a match in any of his three events since.
Losing three matches in a row, is not a problem. Clay, after all, is not his best surface and he is coming back from a four-week hiatus. The real problem was the way he ended his 6-2, 6-4 defeat to Fabio Fognini in Madrid on Wednesday.
Down 0-40 and facing triple match point, Tomic barely moved to return Fognini’s serve. Instead, he casually swung the handle of his racquet – not the head – at the ball from afar before walking towards the net to shake the Italian’s hand and put an end to the contest.
It’s not the first time Tomic has shown a lack of effort, it seems like it won’t be the last. There is a popular hashtag created for the Aussie on Twitter, #BernieCares, and it is used on the rare occasions when he really shows up on court and showcases the immense talent he happens to possess.
When he tries, he is a force to be reckoned with, but antics like that unnecessary moment in Madrid are doing him no favours.
The players who kill themselves for every ball are the ones who resonate the most with fans – just look at someone like Rafael Nadal. He may not be the most talented of the top guys but his hard work and never-say-die attitude has made him one of the most popular athletes on the planet.
On one hand, you have someone like Juan Martin del Potro hanging on to the sport by tooth and nail, putting in the work and hours of rehab to return from one surgery after another and coming out with a win over an in-form Dominic Thiem in Madrid.
And on the other, you have Tomic sauntering off the court and not even attempting to return serve on match point. Is there anything less respectful than that?
He’s ranked No. 22 in the world and playing at a Masters 1000 event. It’s time he started acting like it.
Over in Istanbul, Grigor Dimitrov – another tennis phenom wandering in the world of lost potential – put the ‘Baby’ in ‘Baby Fed’ (as reporter Ben Rothenberg cleverly put it) when he threw a tantrum – more like three – and forfeited the final in which he at one point was leading 7-6, 5-2 and serving.
He was on the verge of winning a first title in two years. Instead, he gave the world one more reason to commiserate over his squandered talent.
Granted the Bulgarian owned up and apologised for it, but the question remains: when will he get his head back in the game and filter out all the noise and drama?