Australian tennis player Bernard Tomic has hit out at Swiss legend Roger Federer for questioning his motivation towards the game.
Following a straight sets victory against compatriot John Millman on Saturday night, Tomic lashed out at the 17-time Grand Slam champion, who had earlier questioned whether the Queenslander would ever achieve his goal of becoming a top 10 player.
“Yeah, well, he has his predictions. I think he’s also far away from Djokovic as well if he wants to say that,” Tomic said.
Tomic plays Andy Murray in the Australian Open last 16 on Monday as he looks to reach his first grand slam quarter-final since Wimbledon in 2011.
“I think he’s also far away from [Novak] Djokovic as well if he wants to say that. If he believes I’m very far away from the top-10, I also believe my prediction that he’s nowhere near Novak’s tennis right now.”
The Swiss great was asked about Tomic’s ambitions of reaching the top 10 at the Brisbane International earlier this month.
“He’s been good, but then top-10 is another story,” Federer said earlier this month.
“The year is not just one month long or one week long. It’s 52 weeks. It’s every day. That (is what) he’s been struggling to show, to be quite honest. Many seasons now in a row we have seen or heard that top 10 is the goal, and he’s missed out on it by a long shot.
Tomic, who is 23-year-old, was once considered one of the brightest talents on the tour but his progress has been stalled in the last few years as a result of numerous off-court controversies.
