Once again Australia’s Bernard Tomic showed less than fighting spirit in a match. But it’s his new service return that raised even more eyebrows in Madrid.
Madrid: Del Potro Triumphs Over Thiem
On Tuesday at the Madrid Open, Tomic faced off against Italy’s Fabio Fognini. Fognini easily took the first set and then later served for the match up 5-4 in the second set.
What happened next is another bizarre tactic from the Tomic playbook. Having apparently decided he had had enough, Tomic tried to hit Fognini’s serve with his racquet handle.
Fognini went on to win 6-2, 6-4.
Tomic’s lack of effort in various matches has been called in question throughout the years. In Miami two years ago, Tomic lost in 28 minutes to Jarkko Nieminen.
The match became the fastest loss in ATP history though Tomic cited coming back from recent surgery as a factor in that result.