Bernard Tomic has shocked fans by revealing he can see himself playing professional tennis until his mid-30s.
The revelation comes after the 28-year-old, who is dating OnlyFans star Vanessa Sierra, previously admitted he felt ‘trapped’ by tennis and said he would rather relax and live off his prize money.
But the ban on international travel due to the pandemic has reignited Tomic’s appreciation for his childhood sport.
After battling his way to an all-Australian qualifying showdown with his friend John-Patrick Smith in Doha, Tomic said he felt he could still be cutting it at the top level for another seven years.
Bernard Tomic has shocked fans by revealing he can see himself playing professional tennis until his mid-30s after previously saying he felt ‘trapped’ by the sport
But the ban on international travel due to the pandemic has reignited Tomic’s appreciation for his childhood sport. Pictured with girlfriend Vanessa Sierra
‘I didn’t get to see an aeroplane for like 10 months. That’s been the best thing,’ Tomic told AAP.
‘So I feel like now I’ve rested, I’m ready and I’ve given myself a chance to put in at least another, let’s say, four, five, six … seven years.’
‘I ain’t got to play to 38, 39 — there’s some guys out there playing at that age, there’s no chance that’s me.
‘But seven years done — 35? If I’m still top 50, top 100 then yeah, I’ll keep playing.’
He certainly sounds rejuvenated, even while admitting that he’s been struggling with a back issue during his two qualifying wins so far in the Qatari capital.
‘I ain’t got to play to 38, 39 – there’s some guys out there playing at that age, there’s no chance that’s me,’ said the one-time world No.17.
‘But seven years done. 35? If I’m still top 50, top 100 then, yeah I’ll keep playing.’
It’s a big if, of course, with Tomic having dropped down to his current ranking of 228 and hungry youngsters like Schoolkate ready to fire away at a celebrated target.
The former world No. 17 went public with his unexpected romance with Sierra, who appeared on Love Island in 2019, in early November
Sierra recently hinted that she’s taken her relationship with Tomic to the next level by referring to him as her ‘husband’ on social media. Bernard Tomic does a tongue flick while with Vanessa Sierra
‘Yeah. He’s got a good future,’ Tomic said of the youngster. ‘If he does the right thing, he’ll get to the the top 100 in the world.’
Now Smith, Tomic’s opponent in the final qualifier, is backing his maverick mate to do the right thing too.
‘He definitely has the style of game to play on until he’s 35 – big serve, big first ball – and I reckon he will,’ said the Townsville southpaw, who’s been hitting with Tomic in Doha..
‘And he definitely has the tennis brain and tennis IQ to go that far.’
Physically, it seems it’s much tougher for him these days, though.
‘I was never the fittest guy, man, never put the work in like these other guys but we’ll have to see. I’m one match away (from Melbourne) and then I can have a couple of weeks off,’ Tomic said.
‘I had back issue in recent games and that went away after seven days, so I’ve only been able to do a couple of hours a day, when I’d like to have put in three or four, but I’ve been on the right track for the last couple of months.
‘But it’s good having had time off, not having played much tennis from March through October. So this last six, seven weeks I managed to – let’s say – do the right thing.’
The former world No. 17 went public with his unexpected romance with Sierra, who appeared on Love Island in 2019, in early November.
Sierra recently hinted that she’s taken her relationship with Tomic to the next level by referring to him as her ‘husband’ on social media.
In an Instagram post over the weekend, the model uploaded a video of herself sweetly resting her head on Tomic’s shoulder as they sat in the front of their car.
It comes after Tomic referred to Bernard as his ‘wifey’ in an Instagram post on December 5.
Sierra’s relationship with Tomic comes as quite a surprise to fans, as she was in an on/off relationship with social media star Luke Erwin until only recently.
The pair launched their X-rated OnlyFans page to create content as a couple earlier in the year – and before their split, they were among the top 0.01 per cent of creators on the platform.
