LAST AUSSIE HOPE SENT PACKING

AUSTRALIA IS still waiting for its next genuine male grand slam contender.

Bernard Tomic, the last Australian left standing, bowed out in Melbourne last night, going down 6-4 7-6 6-1 to Roger Federer at Rod Laver Arena.

Losing to the ‘‘Fed Express’’ is nothing to be too despondent about, after all, this was his 250th grand slam win, but it means that all 16 Australians who entered the main draw men’s or women’s singles are gone.

Thirteen went out in the first round, two the next, and Tomic was the only player to make it this far. The days when Pat Rafter, Pat Cash and Lleyton Hewitt dominated men’s tennis are long gone, and despite all of the money made from this grand slam, they are getting further away from producing a world-class player than ever before. The first set was decided by Federer getting a break in the opening game, but Tomic showed his inexperience in the second set by burning all of his challenges early on with ridiculous calls. When it came to the business end of the set, he could only stand there and watch as some bad line calls went against him. Even then Tomic was up 4-1 in the tiebreak before faltering.

As for the third set, Federer doesn’t lose when two sets up in slams and all the euphoria from the packed-out stadium had dissipated by then.

This was Federer at his sublime best. Whether it’s good enough to see him win another title remains to be seen, but for Australian tennis, it’s time to start licking those wounds again.