Sheepish Federer apologizes for dissing Tomic

Roger Federer apologized on Tuesday after he sparked a row with Bernard Tomic by upbraiding the Australian about his work ethic — without checking his ranking first.

Federer told Tomic he had to work harder if he wanted to reach the top 10, prompting Tomic to point out that the Swiss great was also some way away from the level of top- ranked Novak Djokovic.

But Federer admitted on Tuesday that he made the comments thinking Tomic was still ranked at about 50th in the world.

When he checked the rankings, he realized the Australian had risen to No 17 in the world.

“I didn’t know his ranking was as high as it was, to be quite honest. I thought he was like 50 or 60, but he is in the top 20,” Federer said.

“That was my bad, to be honest. But I don’t check the rankings every day. I came from the offseason. I had no clue what was going on anymore.

“But I still believe it’s a big difference — top 10 for a week or for a year or for multiple years. And getting there is not easy.

“It’s a lot of dedication, a lot of hard work. There’s a lot of guys who have the potential right now, not just him.

“That’s why I think it got brought up in many ways.”

Federer also warned wayward Aussie Nick Kyrgios that the next two years are vital to realizing his huge potential on the circuit after a rocky patch in his young career.

The controversial 20- yearold has polarized opinion over his behavior on and off the court, and he bowed out acrimoniously in the third round of the Open against Tomas Berdych.

“I think he’s a great player. I think he’s enjoyable to watch. I know some people might not like it. I like it. He’s got a lot of personality,” Federer said.

But the Swiss star warned: “The advice I would give him would just to be aware of the fact how important the next couple of years are. Otherwise the train leaves the station and you’re maybe not on it.

“It would be a pity to waste all that talent in this day and age, because I feel talent brought you further back in the day.

“Just talking about a guy who has talent and potential, I can’t hear it anymore. Too many guys have talent. Too many guys are working hard. I don’t believe in that very much any more.”

Last year Krygios was handed a 28- day suspended sentence, which expires on Feb 24, for making a sexual reference to Stan Wawrinka’s girlfriend.