Dual Davis Cup champion Todd Woodbridge has urged Bernard Tomic to pull his head in and let his racquet do the talking this summer after a string of on and off-court controversies.
Woodbridge yesterday said he was hopeful Tomic would benefit from the latest slice of “tough love” after losing his Tennis Australia funding and being dropped from February’s Davis Cup tie.
Tennis Australia’s head of professional tennis believes Tomic needs to ditch the distractions and get back to what made him the highest-ranked 20-year-old in men’s tennis.
It came as Woodbridge foreshadowed a more stringent approach to player behaviour at the draw of the Australian Open wildcard playoff, warning players about their on-court behaviour and discipline.
Sam Stosur recently urged Tomic to “grow up” after 12 first-round losses that saw the Queenslander repeatedly fail to give his best efforts amid accusations he had tanked.
“Look, everyone knows his issues,” Woodbridge said of Tomic.
“It’s time for him to focus on playing well this summer and doing what he’s done for the last couple of years here.
“That’s what everyone likes to see, that’s what makes him famous, coming back from two sets to love down on centre court.
“All those things are done by the racquet, not by things elsewhere.
“In terms of the tough love, it’s to help him, to give him a realisation of what he needs to focus on.
“It’s also not just for Bernard, it’s for all our playing group to understand we have expectations of their behaviours and their ethic on court, their competitive natures.”
Asked whether it was time for Tomic to shelve his fast cars — including a bright orange V8 BMW which has caused run-ins with police — Woodbridge was frank.
“Those things are well-documented, and I think it would be great to see him focus on keeping away from that stuff and just practice and play,” he said.
“And if he can do that, then we know his mind is in the right place.”
Woodbridge will keep a close eye on this week’s Australian Open wildcard playoffs, which features the likes of junior Wimbledon champion Ashleigh Barty, Sam Groth and Luke Saville.
The playoffs returned from a round-robin to knockout format last year, with all men’s matches now five sets in a bid to replicate grand slam conditions.
