The Rollercoaster Journey of Bernard Tomic: A Tennis Prodigy’s Return

The immaculate grass courts of Wimbledon are ready for next week, and Bernard Tomic, whose first big breakthrough came in London 14 years ago, is back! While tennis elite competes to qualify for the world's most prestigious tournament, former tennis prodigy Bernard Tomic is preparing for his first tour match in over four years.

After narrowly missing the cut-off for the qualifying tournament, which takes place a few miles from the main stage in Roehampton, Tomic will not be competing at Wimbledon. But instead of waiting and hoping that some of his teammates would withdraw from Wimbledon qualifying, the former prodigy grabbed his rackets and headed for the Spanish sunshine.

Tomic has faced much ridicule and criticism throughout his career, which dates back to 2008. Away from the big sports stages, Tomic is working in remote corners of the tour to try to break back into the top 100 and return to the Grand Slam stages of Melbourne, Paris, London, and New York. This week presents an opportunity to take a significant step toward that goal on the grass courts of Rafael Nadal's home island of Mallorca, after the 32-year-old qualified for his first ATP Tour-level event since the 2021 Australian Open.

An opportunity to take a significant step toward that mark on the grass courts of Rafael Nadal's home island of Mallorca after the 32-year-old qualified for his first ATP Tour-level event since the 2021 Australian Open.

From boasting about his skills and income to losing motivation and reaching the "party zone" in his mid-20s, Tomic has regained his fitness and is becoming increasingly difficult to beat. Over the weekend, he defeated Jesper De Jong, a Dutchman ranked 93rd who recently won a round at the French Open, and then Aleksandar Kovacevic, an American ranked 77th, to qualify for an event where the winner collects $162,000. The prize is a first-round match against fellow countryman Rinky Hijikata, a hard-working Australian ranked 88th in the world who reached the round of 16 at the US Open a few years ago.

If the Gold Coaster wins this match, he'll jump to a spot just outside the top 200, giving him a chance to qualify for the US Open in New York at the end of August. A slot in the Big Apple, the city where dreams come true and are shattered, would be fitting for a tennis player who has lived the sport's rollercoaster ride for most of his life. Tomic admits that in his early 20s, he lacked the maturity to handle the fame, expectations, and commitment.

"I kind of let go. I just lost my hunger. How can I put it? Of course, I worked very hard growing up. I missed my childhood, but then there came a point where, how can I put this, I felt unfulfilled anymore. Even when I was winning on the court, I just wanted to be normal. The traveling? Man, that destroyed me at 24. Compared to 10 years ago, I see things differently and react differently, but tennis is a very isolated, very tough sport. You're out there on your own. You have to give up your whole life. You're not surrounded by a team, and you're on your own. You lose. You're on your own. You go back to your room, feel bad, you're alone, away from friends, away from family," he said.

Tomic was carefree driving fast cars in his early 20s, but when COVID-19 hit, he was already fixated on the racetrack. The problem for his career was that it was a party circuit.

"To be honest, I didn't train much from the ages of 26 to 28. During the COVID-19 period, I partied a lot. There was nothing to do except party, you know. There was nothing to do. And before those two years, I was always partying. So it was kind of a three-year party zone. (But then) I thought, 'Okay, I still have a chance in tennis. I better get back now.' It took me about a year and a half to get fit again. I played one match and I was like dead. There was nothing to do. And before those two years, I was always out partying. So it was kind of a three-year party zone," he told The Changeover.

"Tennis has been a part of my life since I was seven. Of course, I had a father who pushed me extremely hard, and that's in a way one of the reasons why I made it. But looking at the bigger picture, now at 32, it's a goal. It still gives me something to do. Without tennis, I don't know what I would do. But you feel like you have to find your purpose, something that drives you now that you're older, you want to give something. And that's about tennis. I'm not at my best anymore... but that's why I challenge myself to get back to it one more time. And then I can retire happy and without guilt."