Follow us on Google Discover Getting the approval of John McEnroe is often a good sign that you are destined for greatness.
McEnroe won seven Grand Slam titles in his career, so he knows exactly what it takes to reach the top of the sport.
Nowadays, the former world number one spends a lot of his time as a commentator and pundit, and McEnroe has made some bold predictions about players on both the ATP and WTA Tours.
However, one ATP player who McEnroe suggested could have become a Grand Slam champion has openly admitted he will never return to the top 20 again.
Photo by Zhizhao Wu/Getty ImagesBernard Tomic admits he will never return to the top 20 again
That player is Bernard Tomic, the player who won two junior Grand Slam singles titles and was a big young prospect on the ATP Tour.
Tomic showed signs of his potential when reaching the Wimbledon quarterfinals in 2011 as an 18-year-old, and has a career-high ranking of world number 17.
However, it has been more of a struggle for the Australian in recent years, who has not been ranked in the top 100 since 2019.
Now world number 181 Tomic has shown some signs of progress in recent months, and played his first main ATP Tour match since June after qualifying for the Almaty Open.
While Tomic still has ambitions of returning to the top 100, the 32-year-old admitted to L’Equipe that he will never return to his previous best.
“I don’t even know where I am in the rankings, I’m around the top 150, right?” questioned Tomic. “It’s above all a question of motivation. Now when I leave the court, I have nothing left in the engine, I’m completely dry. But I still find pleasure in it. I do it to challenge myself.
“I was down close to the top 1000 not so long ago, now I’m aiming for the top 100. And if I get there, I’ll see if it still motivates me. But let’s not lie to each other, I’ll never get back to my prime like when I was in the top 20.”
Despite qualifying for the ATP 250 event in Kazakhstan, Tomic was beaten in the first round by Corentin Moutet.
What did John McEnroe once say about Bernard Tomic?
Now that Tomic has admitted that he knows he will never return to the top 20 in the ATP rankings again, it feels very unlikely that he will ever fulfil McEnroe’s prediction for him.
Back in 2012, McEnroe had a big prediction for Tomic, who he suggested was the best young player on the ATP Tour and could go on to win Grand Slams.
“Bernard has got more upside than any young guy I see out there,” McEnroe said as reported by ABC News Australia at the time.
“He has developed a great deal. He’s a very savvy player for a young kid. He’s going to get stronger. That will help him…he is right there with the young guys as one who can make the breakthrough and win some majors.”
Photo credit should read ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images
Not only has Tomic not been near a Grand Slam title in his career, he actually has not played in the main draw of a major tournament since the 2021 Australian Open.
After his first round exit from the Almaty Open, Tomic is now scheduled to switch his attention back to the ATP Challenger Tour, as he bids to make his way back to the top 100 in the rankings.