Spoiler:
An interview with: BERNARD TOMIC
Q. Hard slog. How proud are you of the fight, just pushing through the way you did?
BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah, felt very good to come back from that match. I think he should have got the better of me, but I found something in the end to turn it around. You know, it was a very, very difficult fourth set because I had a lot of break point chances and he was coming up with some good shots in there. I started to get a little bit frustrated with myself. I think on the 8th or 9th one I managed to get it, and very happy I got that point. Afterward I felt confident and played very well in the tiebreak.
Q. Is it more sort of fighting away than necessarily playing great tennis today?
BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah. Today was all about finding a way to get out of that. Sometimes you don't need to play really well to win, you just need to do the right thing, whether it's being aggressive or being defensive. I managed to come up with that at one point. I think he had a lot of chances to hold on that 4 3 game in the fourth, but I somehow dug deep and found that little point that made me win that game and gave me huge confidence. From then, you know, I felt very good on the court. I was very, very happy with myself to win this match, because it was a very difficult one.
Q. I think you have played six five setters at the slams and won five of them. Can you tell us what you enjoy about that?
BERNARD TOMIC: I didn't know the record was like that, but, yeah, I don't know. Grand Slams you always want to play your best. You know, obviously gave myself the best chance. I dug deep today. I like playing the Grand Slams. It's one of the favorite places for me to play in these big tournaments, and it gets the best out of me. I think, you know, whether you're down, whether you're up, you always want to give your best. Today I managed to turn it around. I dug deep and gave myself a chance, you know, as opposed to, you know, quitting. You don't get anywhere. I gave myself a good chance. I'm very, very happy with myself and the way I played today.
Q. Is it important to do well away from Australia and Wimbledon, too? You have had two good slams and two not so good. Is that extra sort of incentive?
BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah, it is. New York is a very different place. I look back to here when I won the juniors and it gives me some confidence. But, you know, I have done three second rounds now here. Who knows? Potentially I can do better this year. I've got to stay focused. My next opponent played very well to beat Nishikori. I like New York, but I have to focus. You can play good anywhere, it's just a matter of you and committing and playing the best as you can play.
Q. What do you like about New York?
BERNARD TOMIC: You know, it's a bit different. Similar in a way to the Australian Open, but different on its side. It's a very, very busy city. I feel like I'm always on the run and it's just everything is just so busy. You come back to the hotel and walk out on the street and it's busy. It's different from Melbourne. Similar on the one hand and very different in the other. I think Melbourne is quiet and laid back and gives you time to relax as opposed to here. You finish a match and everything is just still it's going. The next day you've get out of the hotel, gotta go practice, takes 30 minutes. Cars are flying everywhere. It's very busy, but you've got to find yourself the level of concentration for each tournament, I think. You know, I like playing New York. It's just a matter of me now committing and playing better in the next round, I think.
Q. Nishikori said he knew absolutely nothing about Dan. You saw the result, but what do you know about Dan? He's has a colorful career, seems like.
BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah, I was very surprised to see that on the score when I was playing. I saw he won 4, 4, 2, and that was a very big surprise. I was very surprised because I practiced with Kei early on in Bradenton and he was playing very, very good in practice. I thought Kei was going to win that match. It shows you how anyone can play, and all these players that are playing here, they're good. You can't take anyone for granted these days, because it proves that a guy that's 150 can play on this day and beat a guy almost top 10. You have got to go out there and play the best that you can play, you know, play against your opponent as best as you can. You know, you don't know what's going to happen. Someone can twist an ankle. Someone can be sick of these top players. But for him to win against Kei was huge. I'm sure if he's playing against Kei way against me it's going to be very difficult for me, that's for sure.
Q. Have you noticed him practicing?
BERNARD TOMIC: Haven't seen much of him at all. I know he played well on grass. That's about it. That's all I know.
Q. (Question regarding scouting Evans' practice.)
BERNARD TOMIC: Obviously my hitting partner, he's from the UK and he's hit with him a few times, so that's a good thing. But he can play well obviously, like he did today, so I've got to come out being ready and, you know, play aggressive and play my tennis to win this match.
Q. You talk about it being very important to keep your focus here and New York being a hard place for that. How has the personal situation with the uncertainty every tournament regarding your dad played into that?
BERNARD TOMIC: Oh, I think--you know, I'm managing now. It's still difficult, but, you know, what can I do? I'm trying to, you know, play as best as I can play. The main thing now for me is just to keep improving. Every day I want to improve. I want to get better. That's where my mindset is at. I'm not looking where my dad is. Of course my dad is still on my side with me and that's an important thing, but, you know, I'm trying to find myself deep down inside and become the best player I can be. Each day is a new steppingstone for later in my career. I approach days differently now, so it's good.
Q. Who is in your box now?
BERNARD TOMIC: I have my fitness coach; worked with me the last few months. I've got my hitting partner as well from the UK who is doing a very good job. We're training well. I have a few other people. That's about it.
Q. Who is your hitting partner at the moment?
BERNARD TOMIC: His name is David. He's from the UK.
Q. So do you hope this will be a bit of a turning point? Not much success since Wimbledon. Rough patch for you. Winning like this, do you think it can turn things around for the rest of the year?
BERNARD TOMIC: I like having these sort of matches at the start of a Grand Slam. Takes the pressure off. Now the pressure is off me, you know, and playing a guy who, you know, I can beat. I have to come out playing well. And if I do that, you know, I can, I'm looking pretty good. I've got to stay focused and concentrate. Every match is difficult here. That's for sure. Everyone can play. But I think--I was going to say I definitely think that --I lost. I'm lost.
Q. You lost your focus.
BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah.
Q. Evans is coming off a good run. He beat Nieminen. Have you registered at all what he's been doing? There are an awful lot of guys playing like that.
BERNARD TOMIC: Well, Everyone can play. Hit with guys 300 in the world they hit the ball as well as a guy top 30. It's surprising how players can play. It's just a matter of--the match is very different. Obviously he must have played very well to beat Kei. He's had very good results on grass. I think he likes grass over all the surfaces. I don't know too much about him. I watched him a lot, but obviously I need to, because he beat a very good player today.
Q. Given all the controversy about Andy Roddick's match last year, do you feel like you proved a point today in this gutsy performance?
BERNARD TOMIC: Definitely. To turn any match around like this where I think I was probably one or two points away from being out of the tournament, being able to turn that around and find something inside you to win this match was very, very good for me, and, you know, I take that as confidence into my next round. You know, I'm going to approach it with a lot of confidence. That's the important thing.
Q. Hard slog. How proud are you of the fight, just pushing through the way you did?
BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah, felt very good to come back from that match. I think he should have got the better of me, but I found something in the end to turn it around. You know, it was a very, very difficult fourth set because I had a lot of break point chances and he was coming up with some good shots in there. I started to get a little bit frustrated with myself. I think on the 8th or 9th one I managed to get it, and very happy I got that point. Afterward I felt confident and played very well in the tiebreak.
Q. Is it more sort of fighting away than necessarily playing great tennis today?
BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah. Today was all about finding a way to get out of that. Sometimes you don't need to play really well to win, you just need to do the right thing, whether it's being aggressive or being defensive. I managed to come up with that at one point. I think he had a lot of chances to hold on that 4 3 game in the fourth, but I somehow dug deep and found that little point that made me win that game and gave me huge confidence. From then, you know, I felt very good on the court. I was very, very happy with myself to win this match, because it was a very difficult one.
Q. I think you have played six five setters at the slams and won five of them. Can you tell us what you enjoy about that?
BERNARD TOMIC: I didn't know the record was like that, but, yeah, I don't know. Grand Slams you always want to play your best. You know, obviously gave myself the best chance. I dug deep today. I like playing the Grand Slams. It's one of the favorite places for me to play in these big tournaments, and it gets the best out of me. I think, you know, whether you're down, whether you're up, you always want to give your best. Today I managed to turn it around. I dug deep and gave myself a chance, you know, as opposed to, you know, quitting. You don't get anywhere. I gave myself a good chance. I'm very, very happy with myself and the way I played today.
Q. Is it important to do well away from Australia and Wimbledon, too? You have had two good slams and two not so good. Is that extra sort of incentive?
BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah, it is. New York is a very different place. I look back to here when I won the juniors and it gives me some confidence. But, you know, I have done three second rounds now here. Who knows? Potentially I can do better this year. I've got to stay focused. My next opponent played very well to beat Nishikori. I like New York, but I have to focus. You can play good anywhere, it's just a matter of you and committing and playing the best as you can play.
Q. What do you like about New York?
BERNARD TOMIC: You know, it's a bit different. Similar in a way to the Australian Open, but different on its side. It's a very, very busy city. I feel like I'm always on the run and it's just everything is just so busy. You come back to the hotel and walk out on the street and it's busy. It's different from Melbourne. Similar on the one hand and very different in the other. I think Melbourne is quiet and laid back and gives you time to relax as opposed to here. You finish a match and everything is just still it's going. The next day you've get out of the hotel, gotta go practice, takes 30 minutes. Cars are flying everywhere. It's very busy, but you've got to find yourself the level of concentration for each tournament, I think. You know, I like playing New York. It's just a matter of me now committing and playing better in the next round, I think.
Q. Nishikori said he knew absolutely nothing about Dan. You saw the result, but what do you know about Dan? He's has a colorful career, seems like.
BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah, I was very surprised to see that on the score when I was playing. I saw he won 4, 4, 2, and that was a very big surprise. I was very surprised because I practiced with Kei early on in Bradenton and he was playing very, very good in practice. I thought Kei was going to win that match. It shows you how anyone can play, and all these players that are playing here, they're good. You can't take anyone for granted these days, because it proves that a guy that's 150 can play on this day and beat a guy almost top 10. You have got to go out there and play the best that you can play, you know, play against your opponent as best as you can. You know, you don't know what's going to happen. Someone can twist an ankle. Someone can be sick of these top players. But for him to win against Kei was huge. I'm sure if he's playing against Kei way against me it's going to be very difficult for me, that's for sure.
Q. Have you noticed him practicing?
BERNARD TOMIC: Haven't seen much of him at all. I know he played well on grass. That's about it. That's all I know.
Q. (Question regarding scouting Evans' practice.)
BERNARD TOMIC: Obviously my hitting partner, he's from the UK and he's hit with him a few times, so that's a good thing. But he can play well obviously, like he did today, so I've got to come out being ready and, you know, play aggressive and play my tennis to win this match.
Q. You talk about it being very important to keep your focus here and New York being a hard place for that. How has the personal situation with the uncertainty every tournament regarding your dad played into that?
BERNARD TOMIC: Oh, I think--you know, I'm managing now. It's still difficult, but, you know, what can I do? I'm trying to, you know, play as best as I can play. The main thing now for me is just to keep improving. Every day I want to improve. I want to get better. That's where my mindset is at. I'm not looking where my dad is. Of course my dad is still on my side with me and that's an important thing, but, you know, I'm trying to find myself deep down inside and become the best player I can be. Each day is a new steppingstone for later in my career. I approach days differently now, so it's good.
Q. Who is in your box now?
BERNARD TOMIC: I have my fitness coach; worked with me the last few months. I've got my hitting partner as well from the UK who is doing a very good job. We're training well. I have a few other people. That's about it.
Q. Who is your hitting partner at the moment?
BERNARD TOMIC: His name is David. He's from the UK.
Q. So do you hope this will be a bit of a turning point? Not much success since Wimbledon. Rough patch for you. Winning like this, do you think it can turn things around for the rest of the year?
BERNARD TOMIC: I like having these sort of matches at the start of a Grand Slam. Takes the pressure off. Now the pressure is off me, you know, and playing a guy who, you know, I can beat. I have to come out playing well. And if I do that, you know, I can, I'm looking pretty good. I've got to stay focused and concentrate. Every match is difficult here. That's for sure. Everyone can play. But I think--I was going to say I definitely think that --I lost. I'm lost.
Q. You lost your focus.
BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah.
Q. Evans is coming off a good run. He beat Nieminen. Have you registered at all what he's been doing? There are an awful lot of guys playing like that.
BERNARD TOMIC: Well, Everyone can play. Hit with guys 300 in the world they hit the ball as well as a guy top 30. It's surprising how players can play. It's just a matter of--the match is very different. Obviously he must have played very well to beat Kei. He's had very good results on grass. I think he likes grass over all the surfaces. I don't know too much about him. I watched him a lot, but obviously I need to, because he beat a very good player today.
Q. Given all the controversy about Andy Roddick's match last year, do you feel like you proved a point today in this gutsy performance?
BERNARD TOMIC: Definitely. To turn any match around like this where I think I was probably one or two points away from being out of the tournament, being able to turn that around and find something inside you to win this match was very, very good for me, and, you know, I take that as confidence into my next round. You know, I'm going to approach it with a lot of confidence. That's the important thing.
