home jobs contact us
Our Clients:
Browse by Sport
Find us on ASAP sports on Facebook ASAP sports on Twitter
ASAP Sports RSS Subscribe to RSS
Click to go to
Asaptext.com
ASAPtext.com
ASAP Sports e-Brochure View our
e-Brochure

BRISBANE INTERNATIONAL PRESENTED BY SUNCORP


January 9, 2015


Bernard Tomic


BRISBANE, QUEENSLAND

K. NISHIKORI/B. Tomic
6‑0, 6‑4


THE MODERATOR:  Questions, please.

Q.  He was hot in the first set, wasn't he?
BERNARD TOMIC:  Yeah, he was.  Not a lot I could do.  It's probably one set of tennis you know someone has probably played that well against me probably the last 12 months.
So it's difficult to say anything.  I was always on the back foot.  Couldn't really get forward into the court because he was returning very good.  You know, that's why he's gotten to 5 in the world and potentially has a big chance of becoming a top 3 player this year.
I felt like it was all his way today.  Didn't have much I could get him with.  I fell like my percentage on the serve wasn't there today, so that cost me a lot today.

Q.  Is that what you have to try and work out, Bernie, how you get into those sets when you feel like things are going against you?
BERNARD TOMIC:  Yeah.  It's going to happen like this a lot where you come out and you start playing very good or you start getting your butt kicked, and you need to figure out a way to control it.
Sometimes it's better to be losing in the first set or the first few games than to find yourself, but other times it takes a while to find that in the match.
Before you know it the game is over, like today.  Not a lot I could have done.  Maybe the chance holding at 4‑All would've helped me to have a chance maybe being up 5‑4 in the second and him serving to stay in the set.
So I felt like it was all him today and nothing I could have done.

Q.  Same energy levels that you had against Querrey and Thanasi?
BERNARD TOMIC:  Obviously not.  Different player.  Obviously the atmosphere, the ball, the impact is very different with Kei.  That's why he's gotten to where he is.
Obviously it's very different.  I still feel like I should be moving a little bit more differently.  A lot of people say I'm fitter and feel stronger on court, but I don't think I'm at that level of still 100%.
I still need it keep working hard.  And obviously seeing him playing these players in the top of the game, you learn a lot from them.  Just shows you how much I need to work to get to the top potentially 10 or even 5.

Q.  You still feel vulnerable against the really, really good movers on the tour?
BERNARD TOMIC:  Yeah, for sure it's not easy playing them.  Obviously you want to play them ten times and beat them five times.  You want to level with them and not play them eight, ten times and beat them one, two times.  This is not like this.
So for sure if I played Kei ten times, I could beat him once, twice right now.  But the way to play him is I need to build a level to beating him more frequently, beating him five times from that ten times we play in the future.
This is something I have to work for.  I have to obviously‑‑ I learnt from this match what I can improve.  Obviously I'm heading to Sydney now, and I can take everything from this tournament.  Hopefully play well down there like I always do.

Q.  Is it frustrating that the Brisbane International is only a best‑of‑three when you seem to be coming back in the second and all of a sudden it's over?  Would it be better to go best‑of‑five.
BERNARD TOMIC:  It that would be nice, you know, but then you have to play a lot.  Like you said, before you know it, sometimes tennis is over, you know.  You change ends and it's already 6‑Love.  I couldn't believe it today.
But what could I do?  I have I have to take positives from this.  I played two good matches.  Felt confident.  Maybe a slow start today and it cost me.  If it was another player, for example, maybe I would've had a little bit more chances.
Against a quality player like that, you can't afford to be losing like that.  It's not a good feeling and it's very difficult to turn it around.

Q.  Back to Sydney?
BERNARD TOMIC:  Yeah.  Probably go tomorrow.  Probably play Tuesday, I hope.  I hope I can play well down there.  Be good to play well down there.  I always play well.
Hopefully a good draw and I can play good tennis.  My biggest goal is staying where I am with the rankings or maybe even pushing hard until after the Australian Open is done.  That's my goal.
The next six months after this I can look to push inside the top 20.  If I can do well the next two tournaments, it's going to be good.

Q.  Will you do doubles like you did here, or just focus on singles?
BERNARD TOMIC:  N0, Sydney I'll just play singles.  Have to focus on the singles.

Q.  How much are you going to play after the Australian Open?  Are you going to go straight into playing hard courts in the States?  You got a schedule?
BERNARD TOMIC:  Yeah, I'm going to play Memphis.  Memphis starts the 9th and then Delray Beach on the 16th, and then Acapulco, Indian Wells, Miami.  So I'm looking forward to it, especially after the Australian Open.
I don't defend anything until the seventh month, so I have to try to get top 20 somehow.  I will fight for that.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports




About ASAP SportsFastScripts ArchiveRecent InterviewsCaptioningUpcoming EventsContact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297