Bernie buckles

AMERICAN Taylor Fritz has described Bernard Tomic’s French Open performance as weird and unpredictable.

Tomic is certain to come under scrutiny from Roland Garros officials over a meek first-round 6-1, 6-4, 6-1 capitulation.

Fritz was as bewildered as anybody, having weathered Tomic’s bizarre antics.

“It was kind of weird,” Fritz said. “In the first set, he hit some good shots but not move, like, a lot. So I felt like if I kind of just worked the point, then I would win.

“In the second set, I thought he started playing very well. For a couple of games there we were in, like, a battle.”

Fritz said Tomic’s brief resistance surprised him.

“I got used to one way and then he started playing very tough, and so it kind of turned into a fight there,” he said.

“But I knew if I could get past that and break him and then serve out the set, then it would kind of go back to how it was before.

“You have to stay focused and kind of like be ready for whatever, I guess.”

Tomic was unapologetic over the performance after bombing out in just 82 minutes, the second-fastest firstround men’s singles exit.

Tournament officials will review Tomic’s performance under grand slam’s “best effort” rule.

Asked if he had given his best effort, Tomic said: “Pretty sure I did. But, you know, surface is not good for me.”

Asked why red clay, and the French Open, is so difficult, Tomic said: “I mean, it’s not difficult. It’s just my game’s not built for this surface. Everything I do is not good for it.”

Tomic showed no remorse over a pathetic display, explaining, “Well, I didn’t play good”, before adding clay was “not for me”.

Aggravating the situation, he said he agreed with Nick Kyrgios’s assessment that one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious tournaments “absolutely sucks”. “I agree. You know everything,” he said.

Tomic earned just under $75,000 – a rate of almost $1000 a minute.