Unfocused Tomic gets taste of reality

Australian tennis bad boy Bernard Tomic said he had a “huge wake-up call” after taking part in a reality TV show, leaving the programme early to return to the sporting world.

Tomic, 25, has been pilloried for his poor attitude during a season to forget in 2017 when he admitted he was bored.

Earlier in January he missed out on the Australian Open in Melbourne after losing in the qualifying round.

He then took part in commercial broadcaster Channel Ten’s reality show I’m a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here! held in SA, but pulled out after just three days.

“I don’t want to spend half my time depressed here and thinking about how I played the last year and where I should be,” Tomic said as he explained his departure to other participants.

Tomic blamed himself for his situation over the past year, saying he was not focused.

Just two years on from attaining his highest world ranking of 17, Tomic is currently 168th, with Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt saying on Monday he doubted whether the Australian would ever play for the team again.