'Back to the top': Tomic's bold call in tennis comeback

Out-of-favour Australian star Bernard Tomic has opened up on overcoming mental health challenges as he attempts to rejoin the top 100 in the men’s tennis rankings.

Tomic was a promising teenage player who reached a career-high singles ranking of No.17 in 2016, before tumbling down the ATP rankings as controversy and misbehaviour off the court overshadowed his career.

The two-time junior grand slam champion has previously admitted that he struggled to handle the pressure of family and tennis in his formative years, especially while under the control of his father and then-coach John Tomic.

But after hitting rock bottom, Tomic hopes to make waves this year.

“The tour is very difficult. Tennis is a very isolated sport. It is very tough mentally and you are on your own travelling,” he told Sportskeeda.

“You are not playing a team sport like soccer or basketball. You are on your own. There’s a lot of travel involved and a lot of time is spent alone. You need to figure out how to feel mentally good and when to recharge the batteries.”

Tomic won three ITF finals at ITF World Tennis Tour events in Santo Domingo and Cancun in 2022.

His victory at M15 Cancun marked his first professional title in over four years.

“I also struggled for three to four years. I’ve managed to turn it around and feel better mentally. When you travel from a young age for many, many years, it really can get to you mentally,” Tomic said.

“The sport can really drain you. You need to figure out what’s best for you mentally and always find a way to be positive and move forward. In tennis, you need to be mentally in a good state.”

The 31-year-old has not been ranked inside the ATP top 100 since August 2019, but despite his fall from grace, Tomic believes he can claw his way back, with a top 50 return even on the cards.

Last year, Tomic was victorious at ITF finals in Las Vegas and Doha. He also improved his ranking by more than 450 places to return to the world’s top 400.

“In around September 2022, I was in the 800s in the rankings. For the last year and a half, I have played pretty well to get back,” he said.

“I played a lot of matches. I missed a lot of tennis for three years. I was not playing that much and my physical fitness went down. It took me a little bit of time to get into rhythm. I’m playing pretty good … but I still need to play a little bit better to get back to the top.

“I feel like I can play really well, [in] the next couple of years, especially given my style of play. I don’t use up a lot of energy in the way I play.

“So I think the top 100 is very achievable for me — even top 50 — but still you need to stay healthy [and] do the right things.

“This next year will be interesting. As long as I stay healthy and keep practising, I think I should be okay, let’s see.”

Last month, Tomic won his latest title at the ITF M25 Chennai tournament after being denied a wildcard entry for the main draw of the Australian Open.

He was the biggest name at the tournament and breezed through his competition as he recorded a straight-sets victory over India’s Sasi Kumar Mukund in the final.

As a result, Tomic is currently ranked No.267 in the world.

His most recent effort saw him bundled out of the Bengaluru Open, on the ATP’s Challenger Tour, in the third round last week.