Tennis’s two biggest authorities have left Bernard Tomic’s fate in the hands of the All England Club following his extraordinary confession that was “bored” during his feeble first-round Wimbledon defeat.
Tomic faces a potential sanction for admitting to taking a strategic medical time-out and no longer caring about his grand slam performances after his 6-4 6-3 6-4 loss to German Mischa Zverev.
The 24-year-old faces a fine for bringing the game into disrepute during his bizarre post-match rant in which he also conceded he was only playing for money these days and not trophies.
But the Australian No.2 has escaped sanctioning from both the ATP, which runs the regular men’s tour, and the ITF – the governing body for grand slams, Davis Cup, Fed Cup and the Olympics.
“Wimbledon is not an ATP World Tour event so it is not our jurisdiction,” a spokesman for the Association of Tennis Professionals told AAP.
The ITF directed all enquiries to the All England Club.
It is believed Wimbledon’s referees’ office is examining Tomic’s remarks and on-court conduct.
Claiming to be emotionally burnt out after a decade on tour, the former teenage prodigy and one-time world No.17 also conceded he had mental issues.
Tennis Australia said it “has a wellbeing program in place to assist all our athletes” when asked if it would sanction or support Tomic with counselling.
“This is my eighth Wimbledon, or ninth I think. I’m still 24, and it’s tough to find motivation,” Tomic said.
“I don’t know why, but I felt a little bit bored out there, to be completely honest with you.
“To me, this is one of the biggest tournaments in the world that I have done really well in my career and, yeah, I just couldn’t find anything.
“It’s happened to me a lot. Just can’t find anything on the court.
“It was definitely a mental issue out there.”
The dual grand slam junior champion is unsure how to rediscover the spark but, for now, is ruling out taking a break from the sport.
“I have won titles so I feel holding a trophy or doing well, it doesn’t satisfy me anymore,” he said.
“It’s not there. I couldn’t care less if I make a fourth-round US Open or I lose first round.
“To me, everything is the same. I’m going to play another 10 years, and I know after my career I won’t have to work again.”
