Bernard Tomic hits embarrassing new low and Nick Kyrgios rubs salt in the wounds
Nick Kyrgios could not resist the opportunity to brutally mock Bernard Tomic.
Bernard Tomic has hit a new low by setting a record for the fastest loss in an ATP Challenger event.
The Australian was humiliatingly put to the sword by Learner Tien in the final of the Fairfield Challenger in San Francisco on Monday. Tomic went down 6-0 6-1 in a match that lasted just 39 minutes, a new tournament record.
It did not take long for the world record defeat to sweep across social media, with Nick Kyrgios wasting no time to take aim at the 31-year-old as their long-term feud takes a fresh twist in damning style.
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The outspoken star tweeted a laughing face emoji in response to a tweet outlining that Tomic now holds two miserable records. The Aussie not only has the record for the quickest final loss in ATP Challenger history, but in 2014 he also recorded the quickest loss in ATP Tour history when losing to Jarkko Nieminen in 28 minutes at the ATP Masters 1000 Miami.
Tomic was once regarded as one of Australia’s most exciting tennis prospects, but he went off the boil over the last few years and slipped markedly down the world rankings. He was in the 800s in 2022.
However, he has not given up on his hopes of playing at the highest level and his performances at the Fairfield Challenger will breed confidence – though fitness may be a concern given that he conceded that he could not keep pace with Tien, 18.
?????? https://t.co/qc3kKRUlZW
— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) October 14, 2024
Speaking after the defeat, Tomic said: “Once I lost the first two or three games, it was tough mentally staying on track. I’m sorry I couldn't keep up with my legs.”
Tomic earned 44 ranking points for his performances in San Francisco to move within touching distance of the top 200. But he will need to cast his performance against Tien to the back of his mind if he is to build on his recent momentum and improve in upcoming competitions.
Assessing what the quickfire defeat means for Tomic, commentator Mike Cation said: “It feels like we just did the introductions. That is because A) Learner is that good but B) that is what happens at the end of the week when somebody who's a veteran has put in that much effort through the week, that next level of keeping up on the pace side with a player of Learner Tien's calibre.
“That's going to be the question for Bernie moving forward here but a fantastic week, first final in six years, since 2018. Certainly is a great step but the day belongs to Learner Tien.”
