Bernard Tomic has been humiliated in a bizarre French Open embarrassment, capitulating to a sleep-deprived underdog in yet another farcical twist to the Australian’s career.
The former world No. 16 was upstaged by lucky loser Marco Trungelliti 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 after the Argentine defied the odds to even play the match.
The post-match press conference was just as underwhelming as the Aussie managed to answer 10 questions in just 64 words.
Q. How do you assess that?
BERNARD TOMIC: Well, it was OK, no?
Q. How are you feeling sort of physically? You’ve had that big run on clay the last couple of weeks. So were you fully fit and you obviously gave it your all out there?
BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah, I guess I was OK.
Q. So do you head to the grass court season now with renewed confidence? You’ve been hitting the ball pretty well.
BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah, we’ll see. We’ll see what’s next.
Q. You were wearing different clothes during the qualifying than you are now. Can you tell me about the change in attire?
BERNARD TOMIC: It is what it is. That’s all I can say.
Q. Have you thought anything about the uncertainty — it was unusual as of last night there was no name next to you in the order of play. It just said lucky loser, and we didn’t know who it would be. Was that unusual or a twist in terms of preparing for it, just having that uncertainty?
BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah. But it changed, then I had to play. That’s it.
Q. What positives do you take away from the qualifying week you had?
BERNARD TOMIC: It was solid. It was good.
Q. These are times that are challenging for you. What are some of the things that you have learned during this time?
BERNARD TOMIC: What do you mean?
Q. Well, have you reflected on your place in tennis? On your desire? Are you in this primarily for financial reasons or do you want to do other things?
BERNARD TOMIC: Next question.
Q. So will you head back to Mouratoglou’s for another practice based there or what’s the plan?
BERNARD TOMIC: I go home to Monaco and that’s it.
Q. In the qualifying you played with the shot clock. I was just wondering what are your thoughts on it and were you noticing it the whole time? What was it like?
BERNARD TOMIC: I like it. It’s good.
Ranked 190th in the world, Trungelliti lost in the final round of Roland Garros qualifying on Friday before heading back to his Barcelona home.
On learning no other lucky loser had signed on to replace Nick Kyrgios as Tomic’s first-round opponent, Trungelliti jumped in a car and drove back to Paris on Sunday night.
Accompanied by his mother, grandmother and brother, the stocky right-hander completed the nine-hour trek just before midnight.
Undaunted by the unconventional preparation — he wasn’t confirmed as a starter until 21 minutes before the match — Trungelliti proceeded to a famous victory.
In triumphing, the journeyman is now guaranteed $90,000.
It would have been an extra $20,000 but, under new grand slam rules, players such as Kyrgios who withdraw after the draw are paid half the first-round loser’s check.
A hot favorite to claim his first grand slam scalp since last year’s Australian Open, Tomic was simply outplayed by a burly counter-puncher.
Ironically, Tomic had outperformed Trungelliti by qualifying — but stumbled when it mattered most.
Watched by his coach and father, John, Tomic had kept Trungelliti waiting before sauntering casually out onto court nine — and straight into an incredible ambush.
With nothing to lose, Trungelliti punished Tomic with 16 aces, 68 winners — many of them deadly drop shots — and five service breaks.
Increasingly nervous at the end, Trungelliti double-faulted on his first match point but made no mistake with his second, driving an ace past Tomic’s backhand wing.
The crowd’s roar echoed right across Roland Garros, leaving Tomic to trudge out of the arena to sympathetic applause.
Tomic, who is assured of a small rankings rise to No 178, will now turn his attention to the grass court season.
After seven successive wins on clay, he will consider his least favored swing to be something of a success in 2018.