"I'll never get back to my prime like when I was in the top 20" - Bernard Tomic makes honest admission on his return at the Almaty Open

Controversial tennis player Bernard Tomic is hoping to make a comeback on the ATP Tour, although the Australian was brutally frank when asked about his goals as he makes a return to the sport.

Once viewed as a future star, Tomic began to live up to expectations as he broke into the top 20 in 2016. The former World No.17 was on the verge of superstardom when he underwent a rapid decline, which led to a significant drop in his rankings as he finished 2017 ranked World No.140.

Tomic would be the center of controversy as he struggled to regain his form, with issues ranging from online spats with colleagues to risqué photos on the OnlyFans platform with his ex-girlfriend. However, the 32-year old appears to have put his past misdeeds behind him, shifting his focus back to the tennis court.

Ranked 825th in the world in 2022, Tomic finally took some time to reflect on his life and made the decision to get his career back on track. The Australian resumed training, and attempted to climb his way back up the rankings by competing on the ATP Challenger circuit.

The 32-year old has made numerous attempts to make the main draw on the ATP Tour. After battling through several Challenger events, Tomic is slowly making his way through qualifiers as he hopes to make one final push on tour.

"I was bored, so I came back," said the Australian in an interview with L'Equipe. "It's a challenge I set myself. I was a little tired a few years ago, I didn't train much when I was 25-26. I took a long break, so it took me time to find what I really wanted to do. It's been three years since I started properly again and the results are starting to follow. But it's so hard! I'm getting old, I need time."

After a quarterfinal appearance at the Jinan Challenger last week, Tomic had little time to recover as he entered the qualifying rounds of the Almaty Open. The Aussie star looked as motivated as he has been in years, winning both rounds of qualifying to reach the main draw of an ATP tournament for just the second time since 2021.

"I don't even know where I am in the rankings, I'm around the top 150, right?" said the World No.181. "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."

Playing his sixth match in seven days, Tomic took on eighth seed Corentin Moutet in the opening round in Almaty. After easily dropping the first set, Tomic put up a fight in the second but was unable to stop the Frenchman from recording a 6-1 7-6(9) victory.