A MILLION REASONS BERNIE CAN CELEBRATE $10,000 WIN
IT’S a far cry from “counting my millions” but resurgent tennis star Bernard Tomic’s first title in three years has earned him a significant rankings jump and defied his doubters.
The 25-year-old, battling to revive his career after a dismal 2017 in which he slumped to near 250 in the world, won the inaugural Rafa Nadal Open in Spain yesterday.
He fought back from a set and break down in the final to topple 178thranked German Matthias Bachinger 4-6, 6-4, 7-6. Tomic rises from 152 to 126 in the world due to the win.
Tomic – who has banked more than $7.6 million in career prizemoney and in January infamously claimed he spends his time counting his millions – picked up almost $10,000 for the winner’s cheque.
It also brings him closer to the 105 mark needed to guarantee direct entry back into the pro tour’s four marquee grand slams.
Tennis Gold Coast president Mike Ford said the title and comeback nature of the win which took two and a half hours was “very encouraging” and he hoped Tomic could “keep it going”.
“It’s a matter of staying the course and trying to avoid all the distractions,” Ford said.
It is Tomic’s first pro title since 2015 and defies some who queried if he’d return.
ISRAEL Folau needs one of footy’s seven-out-of-10 miracles to play on Saturday night yet he gave the strong hint that the greater repair work for the Wallabies this week will be mental.
Falling so short of expectations against the All Blacks in two Tests has left some scarring that only a resounding performance against South Africa can start curing at Suncorp Stadium.
The champion fullback rated himself a 50-50 chance to play but would need to train today on his damaged ankle or the able Dane Haylett-Petty will be there.
Put in bland print, it is stinging that Folau should query attitude and clocking off at key moments in the crashlandings against the All Blacks last month when defensive misfires were costly.
“A lot is an attitude. The attitude has been great (overall) but there were little moments in the games where we switched off,” Folau said.
“There wasn’t the urgency to kill that (counter-attack) play straight away.”
There was a strong chance that Folau was reiterating what coach Michael Cheika
had emphasised in the team’s first meetings of the week and what was viewed in horror story video clips from the Bledisloe Tests again.
“No doubt, the results really hurt us and we understand the fans’ frustrations because it has been 16 years since we held the Bledisloe (Cup),” Folau said. “We still hold on to a lot of confidence and want to put that unsatisfied feeling behind us.”
Folau must get a bruised back at times from the compliments he receives but there has been a different tone to recent public comments to the team.
“You always come across people in the streets and they have been expressing their frustrations,” Folau said.
“It’s a matter of turning 50-minute performances into an 80-minute one because in both those Tests (against the Kiwis) we did some good things in the first half.”
A new three-year deal for Folau with Rugby Australia and the NSW Waratahs is past the post in most eyes yet he clicked into contract talk mode and “so many options” tumbled from his lips again.
Would Mrs Folau stipulate they be a one-state sporting family now his Kiwi wife Maria has a clearance to play netball in Australia and likely with the Western Sydneybased Giants?
“Well yeah, we’d both like to be in the same state but being athletes we know it doesn’t always go that way and we’ve been doing that (playing in different countries) for three years,” he said.