Tomic just can't be bothered

LONDON - After all the hard work and dedication it takes to get to Wimbledon, at least one player can't be bothered to actually try to win.

Bernard Tomic, a 24-year-old Australian who reached the quarterfinals at the All England Club in 2011, said on Tuesday he "just couldn't find any motivation" to compete this year.

"I felt a little bit bored out there, to be completely honest with you," Tomic said after losing to Mischa Zverev 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 on Court 14.

"I feel holding a trophy or, you know, doing well, it doesn't satisfy me anymore," he added.

Tomic has won three titles in his career, the first in Sydney in 2013. He then won consecutive titles in Bogota, Colombia, in 2014 and 2015.

He has not advanced as far as the quarterfinals at a Grand Slam event since losing to eventual champion Novak Djokovic in 2011 - when at 18 he became the youngest man to reach the final eight at Wimbledon since Boris Becker defended his title in 1986.

Tomic, who reached a high of No 17 in the world rankings in January 2016, entered Wimbledon ranked No 59 after reaching the quarterfinals in Eastbourne, where he beat Zverev 6-3, 6-2 last week in the second round.

"Some weeks I play well and beat a bunch of players and do super well in tournaments ... but now I just can't seem to find, like, the commitment to work hard, to enjoy playing and to lift trophies," Tomic said.

Zverev was unimpressed.

"It kind of made it almost tougher for me, because I didn't know what to expect, because between points he was walking slowly, and he definitely acted like something was wrong," said the German.

"But then he would still, you know - if the ball was within reach, he would still hit it hard, especially with the forehand, place it well, and hit a lot of winners."

Zverev finished with 18 aces, compared to Tomic's four. He also had 11 fewer unforced errors than Tomic, who committed 25.

"I feel like Bernie has been playing Wimbledon since he was about 11," said Thanasi Kokkinakis, an Australian who lost to Juan Martin del Potro in his first-round match.

"Maybe he's bored. I'm not sure. I do know he's talented and hopefully he gets it together."

After acknowledging his lack of interest, Tomic was asked whether he would give back his prize money because of his performance - a question he quickly shot down.

He also disagreed with a suggestion that he didn't give his best effort against Zverev.

"I do feel a bit of guilt and maybe I could have played four or five sets, but in my opinion he played well and I was just playing terrible and I just couldn't find any rhythm. He deserved to win," said Tomic.

Associated Press