Tomic the tonic for Australian hope
January 20th 2009 00:08
Bernard Tomic, who won the Australian Open boys’ title last year, is certainly an exciting prospect, one capable of following in the footsteps of recent Australian heroes like Lleyton Hewitt and Patrick Rafter.
He may even go on and emulate some of the sport’s more illustrious names from years gone by.
Given that he won his first Grand Slam match at the tender age of 16 suggests that this Australian prodigy is destined for terrific things.
He already owns the world record as the youngest male professional to win a Grand Slam match, beating fellow countrymen Todd Woodbridge for the title.
He will, however, need time to develop his skills and gain experience at the various levels he must negotiate en route to the top of the men’s game.
There are no guarantees and no fast tracks on the path trodden by the likes of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. All of those players bloomed at their own pace, as Tomic must be allowed to do so too.
He did a good job of maintaining a sense of perspective when talking in his press conference afterwards - an experience which can be intimidating in itself – and was careful to remind the more excitable members of the media that he should be allowed to enjoy the step he had just taken without being hurried into taking the next one.
“It's a big feeling to play a Grand Slam, my first one. It's a great experience. Nothing could be better than winning a first round in your first one,” said Tomic, who plays Gilles Muller in the second round.
“I mean, anything can happen right now. I'm in the second round. You know, who knows. I could get through. But the guy (Muller) is a great player. He's got to the quarters of the US (Open) There's not much I can do if he's serving bombs, so we'll see.”
Whatever happens against Muller, Tomic will learn a little more about himself as a player and gain a little more experience of playing in Grand Slam tournaments against men who have been in this position many more times than he has.
Having nothing to lose is an overused phrase in tennis, but it actually applies in this case. Tomic can only gain from the next few days, and he will move forward whatever the future has in store for him.
Enjoy the excitement Australia but do not get too carried away just yet – there may be plenty more of it to come.
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