I
don’t know why everyone is so surprised that Bernard Tomic beat Nikolay Davydenko 7-5, 6-3 7-5. Tomic gave a slightly under-the-weather Rafael Nadal a firm push at the Australian Open this year so of course he would push a player who has plummeted down to number 27 in the world.
Davydenko has struggled all season to string consecutive wins together on a regular basis. The Russian also has a pretty poor record at Wimbledon, having now lost 6 times in the first round in 10 attempts. Nikolay has only made it past the second round on two occasions and was ripe for the picking today.
Tomic,as always, used his brain more than his power to pass Davydenko. The young Australian showed his effortless almost casual shot making ability as well as the variety of pace and shot he has in his game and never let Nikolay get comfortable.
Davydenko’s volleys and shot selections were poor at best while Tomic seemed to find casual accuracy on his serve and backhand that crippled Nikolay.
I may never be a fan of Tomic but I really do think his game is brilliant. His casual approach should serve him well once he finds the right level. At the moment he could justifiably be accused of being too casual at times but he keeps a cool head on the court and plays some great tennis with sound strategies. Quite frankly the boy’s got game and if he’s guided properly and plays a few more tournaments there is no reason he shouldn’t be well inside the top 100.
Tomic is now excited about his chance against (and rightly so) Igor Andreev in the second round.
Q. First win at Wimbledon, right, over a former No. 3 in the world. Must be excited.
BERNARD TOMIC: I am. I’m really happy. I wasn’t happy when they pulled my name to play him in the first round, but the way I played was really good. Got a lot confidence off that match.
I can’t wait for my next round.
Q. How do you compare that form in your match to the Rafa match in Australia?
BERNARD TOMIC: Um, very different. I think that match I played against Nadal I was a bit more relaxed and I hit the ball a little bit harder.
Today it was just windy and it was difficult to hit from one side. It was really tough because the wind was pushing you back, and all you could do was just keep the ball in the court today on one side.
But on the other hand, on the other side, you know, I could follow through and hit the balls hard.
Difference was I think Nadal was a champion in that match. Today obviously I played a really good player, and I’m happy I won.
Q. The advantage of beating a seeded player, of course, is you don’t get one in the next round. Have you had a look forward in the draw yet?
BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah, I have. I play Gabashvili or Andreev, which they’re on court now. Hard to say. Never played both of them. Typically they’re not grass courters, but they can play good tennis and pull up good matches.
So whoever wins that, I’m going to study them hard and try to play well in the next round.
Q. What does that studying involve? Do you get a DVD of it?
BERNARD TOMIC: Yeah, that or YouTube. (smiling.) That’s a whole good thing about YouTube. Few letters and you get everything.
