Bad boy Bernard Tomic feels he has matured and isn’t ‘that stupid little kid anymore’
Provocative Bernard Tomic has revealed that he regrets a lot of his comments and actions, feeling they were “something a kid would say” but feels he is now “older and wiser.”
Tomic was very successful at an early age after winning two junior Grand Slam titles at the age of 15, the Australian Open and the US Open.
The Australian also won three Orange Bowl titles all at different age categories, 12, 14 and 16. The Orange Bowl is one of the most prestigious events on the International Tennis Federation (ITF) junior tour.
In his first interview in two years, Tomic told Courier Mail that he regrets a lot of the childish things he has said and done in the past, feeling he is “older and wiser” now.
Tomic has claimed he was money-oriented in his younger years which led to a lot of controversial and combative comments.
Most notably, he told reporters “you probably don’t like me but, at only 24, you guys can only dream about having what I have.
“End of the day, don’t like me or whatever. Just go back dreaming about your dream car or house while I go buy them.”
However, when reflecting on these comments, Tomic feels his previous comments are “something a kid would say.
“There are so many things I should not have said, should not have done. But I did.
“I’m not the same as I was when I was 18, 20 years old. Time changes people. I’m a bit older. A bit wiser. I’m not that stupid little kid anymore.”
Tomic had previously said after exiting Wimbledon in the first round in 2017, that he felt he was “bored out there [on the court].” A comment to which 18-time Grand Slam champion Martina Navratilova replied, if Tomic couldn’t get excited for Wimbledon “it’s time to find another job.”
“I had too much success at a young age. Everything got to me. The travel, day in, day out tournaments. By age 25 I was tired and starting saying dumb s*** in the media.
“I was so successful at a young age. I was top 50 and I was 18 years old. All the travel got to me.
“I was travelling from the age of 10. All these guys in Europe … they come to Australia once a year. I was 10 years old, in Australia, having to go to the US and back. Australia was such a grind. Having to travel everywhere and then back, back, back.”
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