Only four days after happily admitting to the press that he had used gamesmanship as a main tactic to come back from two sets to love down against Fernando Verdasco, Tomic decided to take things even further while fighting for his life in a fifth set against Dolgopolov.
This time, he decided to channel Justine Henin by stopping mid-point and putting his hand up to issue out a challenge. When Ramos appeared to have not seen Tomic’s gesture and Dolgopolov hit an error after assuming that the point had been stopped, Tomic made the decision to act like nothing happened, before flat-out lying when asked on-court.
After clinching the fifth set and match, his take on the incident afterwards was very telling;
Q. What happened at the end of the first game in the fifth set.
BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah, it was a long rally, a slice rally. Four, five slices and he hit the ball long. I knew the ball was long called, but I looked to the umpire’s chair because I sort of had my head down. I knew where the shot was. So even though I liked to the ref to see what his reaction was, because I didn’t hear him, I didn’t say a thing.
I knew I got the slice back. It was on my frame. I was looking at him whether he was going to say “out,” but I continued to play. He thought I was going to challenge it. Got lucky I didn’t say anything.
Q. So in your mind you didn’t challenge?
BERNARD TOMIC: No, I didn’t challenge but I looked ‑‑ sometimes before the ref says “out” and overrules, he lifts his arm.
At that time when he didn’t say “out,” I continued to play. So I went like that. Alex thought I was challenging, and I didn’t focus on that shot.
After Henin’s ‘Hand’ incident, Serena Williams later described her actions as “lying and fabricating”. If this isn’t the very Oxford dictionary definition of lying and fabricating, I don’t know what is.
Umpire Sergio Ramos has to shoulder sine of the blame after completely missing Tomic’s gesture, but Tomic’s actions both on and off-court were abhorrent at best. The Australian came into this event as one of the most polarizing players in tennis, but at this point it is fairly clear that he is going to leave it simply as one of the most hated. And for good reason.
Listen to you!
His gesture could have been lots of things and he didn’t lie, he mouthed “I didn’t say anything” and indeed he didn’t say anything.
His upward racket half-gesture mid point should not be construed to be a challenge without any utterance and Dolgo should not have changed his return shot in any case.
Although technically Dolgo could complain and did at the time, this was gamesmanship on his part not Tomic’s.
voice of reason you are actually even more full of shit than Tomic is. What Tomic did was really unsportsmanlike and the ATP shouldn’t allow this kind of behaviour. It’s the Henin’s and the Tomics that ruin a sport that’s supposed to be fair played. Hope this guy will not make it to the top, arrogance written all over him and his game is actually not as good as a lot of aussies think. Service is fine but his groundstrokes are weak. Good thing Federer showed us that when you have a steady attack game he’s not so hard to beat.
Listen to you!
His gesture could have been lots of things and he didn’t lie, he mouthed “I didn’t say anything” and indeed he didn’t say anything.
His upward racket half-gesture mid point should not be construed to be a challenge without any utterance and Dolgo should not have changed his return shot in any case.
Although technically Dolgo could complain and did at the time, this was gamesmanship on his part not Tomic’s.
Seriously, there are people with this kind of logic? No wonder we have so many problems in this world.
voice of reason you are actually even more full of shit than Tomic is. What Tomic did was really unsportsmanlike and the ATP shouldn’t allow this kind of behaviour. It’s the Henin’s and the Tomics that ruin a sport that’s supposed to be fair played. Hope this guy will not make it to the top, arrogance written all over him and his game is actually not as good as a lot of aussies think. Service is fine but his groundstrokes are weak. Good thing Federer showed us that when you have a steady attack game he’s not so hard to beat.