"Bloody hell": Patrick Rafter expresses shock over Bernard Tomic's career status

Former world number one Patrick Rafter has expressed surprise after learning that his fellow countryman Bernard Tomic is still playing professional tennis. The 32-year-old was once considered one of the best men's tennis players in Australia in the singles category but has struggled with form and fitness in the recent past.

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Former world number one Rafter, who finished his career with two Grand Slam titles, which was the US Open in 1997 and 98, has recently spoken to AAP, where he expressed his surprise to learn that Tomic is still playing professional tennis. “Bloody hell. Thirty two? It’s good to see Bernie have a crack,” he said. “I haven’t see him play in years. Let’s have a look, see how he goes."

Tomic, who was once ranked 17th in the world in men’s tennis in 2016, is currently ranked 215. In 2024, he did not play in any major ATP events or Grand Slams. That would have been impossible to think a few years back when the Stuttgart-born was in the quarterfinal at Wimbledon in 2011. Unfortunately, in that contest, he ended on the losing side against the former world number one Serbia’s Novak Djokovic with a score of 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5.

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Tomic played 72 matches across all competitions in 2024, winning 44 matches and suffering defeats on 28 occasions. He only ended up winning one title in 2024, which was M25 in Chennai, where he defeated India’s Sasikumar Mukund in the final in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 7-6.