‘Tomic the Tank Engine’, king of the excuses, is savaged by Australian media after latest flop
The 23-year-old asked gathered reporters: “would you care if you were 23 and worth over $10 million?” when asked about his latest loss
Troubled tennis star Bernard Tomic was slammed by Australia’s media as “the king of the excuse” Monday with “a heart the size of a peanut” after his latest on-court antics at the Rome Masters.
I don’t care about that match point. Would you care if you were 23 and worth over $10 million?
Tomic, who made headlines last week when he turned his racquet the wrong way to face a match point in the Madrid Masters first round against Fabio Fognini, lasted just eight minutes in his opening clash in Rome on Sunday.
The much-criticised Aussie world number 22 retired after a medical timeout when he was leading French opponent Benoit Paire 2-1, saying he had been “feeling bad all night”.
The 23-year-old has a catalogue of lax commitment in matches, which has earned him the tag of “Tomic the Tank Engine,” and he was savaged in the Australian press.
“Instead, we’re treated to tantrums, arrogance, moods and at times utterly shocking attempts at justifying continual brattish behaviour.
“Yep, we’re looking at you Bernard Tomic,” it added in a story headlined “King of the excuse” which scornfully listed his top 10 career excuses in an “ever-expanding rap sheet”.