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After demolishing Bernard Tomic successful consecutive sets successful Miami 3 years ago, satellite No.1 Novak Djokovic approached the Australian successful the locker country aft the match.
"I inactive retrieve the 1 happening helium said to me," Tomic told The Sydney Morning Herald.
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"He said to me, 'Bernard, if I had fractional your talent, wherever would I be?'"
The words person stayed with Tomic, a subordinate who had each the endowment successful the satellite but present finds himself astatine "rock bottom" by his ain assessment.
His quest to travel backmost and decorativeness his vocation disconnected powerfully got disconnected to a little than cleanable commencement aft helium mislaid during qualifying for the Australian Open. However, his explosive complaints during the lucifer of not feeling well person present been vindicated by a affirmative trial for COVID-19.
During a lengthy interrogation with Nine's A Current Affair, Tomic outlined his program to decorativeness his vocation similar helium should person been spending it for the past decade.
At the property of 14, Tomic signed the astir lucrative Nike woody of immoderate sportsman his age.
He went on, aged 16, to go the youngest antheral to triumph a lucifer astatine the Australian Open .
Tomic became the youngest subordinate since Boris Becker successful 1986 to scope the quarter-finals astatine Wimbledon erstwhile helium took connected Novak Djokovic arsenic an 18-year-old successful 2011.
"[My dad's] expectations of maine arsenic a subordinate were ever excessively high," Tomic said. "Being No.1, winning 10-20 expansive slams … determination was a batch of unit enactment connected maine from my father.
"It's not easy. People don't spot this changeless satellite of pressure, pressure, pressure. At times, I didn't privation to play tennis.
"It was not thing I enjoyed 100 per cent doing. But I was beating everyone and with winning comes a batch of bully feelings with emotions arsenic a young kid. And it grew connected me."
Tomic was reluctant to delve excessively heavy into his narration with his father, though couldn't assistance but admitted the interaction his upbringing had an interaction connected his descent implicit the years.
The erstwhile prodigy said his occurrence tin beryllium attributed to the hours of clip his begetter enactment into him, nevertheless the lasting residue was hard to escape.
"I'm inactive frightened of my dad," helium said.
"I wouldn't privation to beryllium raising my kid the mode I was raised.
"He's whacked balls astatine me, racquets and stuff. I mean, the feline is simply a brainsick man, for sure. But helium made maine who I americium today. It was subject astatine 100 per cent.
"When you look astatine it now, successful a mode I wouldn't rise anyone similar that. But I didn't cognize immoderate better. Parents tin beryllium a small spot … you know? He's a bully antheral and has a bully bosom and helium enactment a batch of clip and effort into making maine who I am."
Part of Tomic's effort to marque amends for his past indiscretions is sending a connection to those helium wronged. Australian large Lleyton Hewitt is connected the list, among others wrong Tennis Australia.
Tomic's narration with Hewitt deed its lowest constituent erstwhile Hewitt claimed Tomic blackmailed him and physically threatened some helium and his household aft helium refused to springiness the subordinate a wildcard to the Australian Open oregon prime him successful Davis Cup.
Hewitt and Tomic's narration has been fraught since Tomic's entourage told Hewitt that helium wasn't bully capable to signifier with the past 16-year-old astatine Wimbledon.
Despite the clashes implicit the years, Tomic said helium hoped helium could "patch things up" with the erstwhile satellite No.1.
"I was conscionable a small spot forceful [to] him and said 'if you travel adjacent maine I'll bash x and x'," Tomic revealed.
"He wanted maine to bash a fewer things that I didn't privation to bash and I got a small spot arrogant, which I ain up to. I cognize that I could person not done the things that I done oregon said the things I said.
"But for definite astatine the infinitesimal erstwhile helium didn't springiness maine the wildcard, I astir apt wouldn't person fixed maine the wildcard. I was 250 successful the world. The infinitesimal erstwhile helium didn't fto maine play Davis Cup, I wouldn't person fto maine play Davis cupful for Australia.
"So I recognize his presumption now. When I look astatine it ... I really cognize that he's moved to the Gold Coast truthful Lleyton if you're watching let's person a coffee. Everything I said I instrumentality back. I ain up to it. Lleyton's bequest and his tennis speaks for itself and successful the aboriginal I anticipation to spot things up with him."
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