Earlier this month, when 24-year-old Bernard Tomic lost in the first round of Wimbledon, the world’s oldest and most prestigious tennis tournament, he reflected, “I felt a little bored out there to be completely honest with you. You know, I tried at the end… but it was too late”.
During the press conference, he continued, “I believe you have to respect the sport, but I think I don’t respect it enough. I just believe playing many years on tour now has sort of taken a toll…”
It wasn’t the first time his comments, and his attitude more generally, have infuriated the Australian public.
At the time, nine-time Wimbledon winner Martina Navratilova said, “It’s disrespectful to the sport and disrespectful to the history of the sport. If you can’t get motivated at Wimbledon it’s time to find another job”.
Australia, undoubtedly, have several questions for Tomic. And on Sunday Night, presenter Melissa Doyle went some way towards asking them.
Perhaps the most controversial question, which unsurprisingly provoked the most controversial answer, was to do with why Tomic chooses to play tennis. When he seems so “bored” by the game – why play?
Doyle point blank asked the German-born tennis champion, “are you only playing for the money?”
“Basically, yeah,” he responded.
“You know, I think… And I didn’t come from a rich family. We had no money. I was 12 years old, 13 years old. Nobody knows the sort of life that I had. You know, we came to Australia with, you know, basically nothing.
“And, you know, it was tough. It was tough. People don’t see. We had a car, $200, $300. And now, maybe go and buying cars, $500,000 to $1 million. You know, it’s my choice. And living in all these lavish houses and property around the world, it’s my choice. It’s something that I’ve worked for, in my opinion, a lot in this sport.”
Doyle also asked why viewers should “bother” turning up to watch Tomic play. Why should they spend their money to watch him play when, recently, he doesn’t even try?
“Don’t come,” he said. “Watch on TV. Just watch on TV.”
Tomic’s responses come across as rude. Ungrateful. Entitled. Arrogant.
LISTEN: In defence of Nick Kyrgios on Mamamia Out Loud. Post continues below.
But what we’re seeing – what we’ve been seeing for a while – is a young man who is struggling.
He is young and confused, but instead of acting out anonymous, in the privacy of his home and his family and close friends, he is doing so on the world stage.
It’s easy to throw insults at a young man who seems completely unaware of the opportunities he’s been offered. It’s far harder to acknowledge that a 24-year-old professional tennis player with the world in his hands isn’t OK. He’s far from OK.
Unhappiness doesn’t always look like tears and an unambiguous cry for help. It can can look like anger and brattiness. It can look like an ungrateful 24-year-old who feels nothing standing on a court at Wimbledon.
Unhappiness can look like apathy. It can sound like a frustrating monotone, coupled by cold, vacant eyes.
Unhappiness can be ugly. And grossly unappealing. And it inflicts our top athletes as much as it does anyone else.
We can’t know the depths of Tomic’s personal turmoil. But for someone to be so cavalier about themselves, and the thing they’ve become known for, is a red flag.
One we should approach with compassion – not anger.
Top Comments
I think it's about time we start seeing a range of attitudes from sports people. I've trained heavily as a rower in my youth and failed to meet my potential due to serious illness, but though intense training can put your body and mind in good condition, there is actually a sort of pressure to live this trope of the super grateful, motivated sportsperson. People think that because he is making money and doing something that looks glamourous and fun, that he owes them gratitude and an inspirational outlook and enthusiasm. Training for elite sport is tough. It's tiring, it's relentless, endless, it can involve being berated by a coach for whom no performance is satisfactory. It can involve verbal abuse and high expectation.it means competing against others directly for the best pay cheque, knowing you have to win consistently to remain viable, sacrificing other career options and uncertainty what you will be able to do once it's over, or if your friends/family/supporters will allow you to give up when you are bored of it, and grappling with whether you will regret not doing it more than continuing to do it when you are tired and over it.
Why does he need to present a grateful image? He worked for what he got, if it came easy, good for him. The woman at the movie ticket counter doesn't look like she enjoys working either, but I still go to the cinema and I don't expect her to thank me personally for her wage.
So great to see some rebellious attitudes in sport these days. The stereotypical high on life athlete is a tired out trope that needs to make way for reality.
Oh please! Sports people up until recent years have faced exactly the same struggles, perhaps more so. They sucked it up and got on with it. Betty Cuthbert was a brilliant runner during the 50s and early 60s. She worked full time as a typist in Melbourne. During the Melbourne Olympics, on the day of one of her finals, she worked till 5pm, caught a bus to the stadium, ran her race and not only won but broke a world record!
Bernard Tomic is behaving like a brat. He's
Showing no respect for the sport that's given him so much. Mental illness has little to no stigma any more. If he needs help, it's freely available to him. He wouldn't have to wait till God knows when for an appointment or a bed for inpatient treatment. Plenty of high profile sports people suffer from depression and it's my belief that Tomic's surrounded by enough qualified people that someone would have noticed by now if there were any suggestion of mental illness.