Top Coaches Think Tomic Can Handle Star Stress

Written by: Staff on 12th January 2012

Top Coaches Think Tomic Can Handle Star Stress |

Darren Cahill and Roger Rasheed both know what it is like to coach the man who shouldered home hopes at the Australian Open after long spells in the employment of Lleyton Hewitt. And the duo agree teenager Bernard Tomic is now strong enough to withstand the same burden.

Tomic finished 2011 the youngest player in the ATP World Tour’s top 100 and is currently ranked 37th, meaning he will be one of the most dangerous floaters in the year’s first Grand Slam event of the year after scoring notable victories in his three previous senior appearances at Melbourne Park.

The 19 year-old warmed up for the main event by scoring an impressive win over world no. 7 Tomas Berdych in the AAMI Classic exhibition tournament at nearby Kooyong and impressed many including Cahill and Rasheed.

Cahill said: “Bernard’s movement is far improved on what it was 12 months ago, and also his recovery, which is going to be important for him.

”If he’s going to play at the top level, against top-ten players, week in week out, and put together those two and three and four good matches in a row, that’s where the big improvement has to come from, and it looks like he’s on the right path.”

The man who also coached Andre Agassi before moving to a position in the ESPN commentary booth added Tomic’s toughened up body also equips him to do plenty of damage. And Cahill added: “Well, he’s got a man’s head, that’s for sure. He’s got a really intelligent tennis brain and he can find angles of the court that a lot of players can’t find.

‘”He’s got that uncanny ability to put the ball in an uncomfortable position, to change the pace of the ball, to give it a different spin, and not too many tennis players can do that. So, against a lot of the top guys, you feel like you give him a chance if he plays his best tennis, because his tennis can be so uncomfortable to play against.”

Rasheed was more than happy to concur and insisted the majority of top players will want to avoid Tomic when the draw for the Australian Open is made in just a few hours time (11am Melbourne time).

“I don’t think there are too many who would really like to come up against him,” said Rasheed who will be full time on the Channel 7 commentary team after splitting with French player Gael Monfils last year. “I am sure the top 2, 3 or 4 would have him. But anyone else, no.”

Topics: Bernard Tomic