"Top 100 is achievable for me, even top 50" - Bernard Tomic opens up about his rankings climb, overcoming mental health struggles & more in Exclusive

Bernard Tomic has seen the highs of professional tennis. A former junior World No. 1 and a two-time junior Grand Slam champion, a Wimbledon quarter-finalist, and a winner of four ATP singles titles with a career-high ranking of No. 17, the Aussie has achieved things in the sport very few can boast of.

Tomic, unfortunately, has also seen the lows of the sport: A difficult father who was banned from the tour, frequent run-ins with his national federation, physical injuries, mental health concerns, a loss of motivation and a rapid slide in the rankings -- all the way down to No. 825 in August 2022.

While Australian fans have been eagerly awaiting the comeback of Nick Kyrgios over the past 14 months, Tomic has quietly been scripting a climb up the rankings. Since the lows of August 2022, the 31-year-old has climbed more than 500 spots in the rankings to sit at No. 273 this week. And the former top 20 player feels confident that he can return to the top 100.

"In around September 2022, I was in the 800s in the rankings. For the last year and a half, I have played pretty well to get back," Tomic said earlier this week at the Bengaluru Open ATP Challenger, where he won two macthes to qualify for the main draw before bowing out in three sets to American Tristian Boyer.

"I played a lot of matches. I missed a lot of tennis for three years. I was not playing that much. And my physical fitness went down. It took me a little bit of time to get into rhythm. But now, I'm playing pretty good. But I still need to play a little bit better to get back to the top," he added.

Bernard Tomic, in fact, is confident of even reaching the top 50 if things go his way, particularly if he can stay healthy and keep up the work he has been putting in the last few months.

"I feel like I can play really well, the next couple of years, especially given my style of play. I don't use up a lot of energy in the way I play. So I think the top 100 is very achievable for me. Even top 50. But still you need to stay healthy, do the right things. This next year will be interesting. As long as I stay healthy and keep practising, I think I should be okay, let's see."

While the sport has evolved, so has Bernard Tomic. In early 2018, during his brief stint on the reality show, "I'm A Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here", the Australian admitted to feeling depressed. Since then, Tomic has come to a much better place not only in his career, but also in his personal life.

"The tour is very difficult. Tennis is a very isolated sport. It is very tough mentally and you are on your own travelling. You are not playing a team sport like soccer or basketball. You are on your own. There's a lot of travel involved and a lot of time is spent alone. You need to figure out how to feel mentally good and when to recharge the batteries," Tomic said.

The Aussie added:

"I also struggled for three to four years. I've managed to turn it around and feel better mentally. When you travel from a young age for many many years, it really can get to you mentally. The sport can really drain you. You need to figure out what's best for you mentally and always find a way to be positive and move forward. In tennis, you need to be mentally in a good state."

"Players who were ranked 400, 500 when I started were not very good but now guys ranked 400, 500 can beat anybody in the top 100" - Bernard Tomic

Bernard Tomic at the 2021 Australian Open

Tomic has been around for a while. He played his first Grand Slam main draw match way back in 2009 and has observed up close the evolution of the game in the last decade and a half.

"Everything is more advanced. There are a lot of better players compared to 10 years ago. Players who were ranked 400, 500 when I started were not very good but now guys ranked 400, 500 can beat anybody in the top 100."

"It's ridiculous, the level is so deep. The level has improved and it's gonna keep changing like this every 5-10 years. That's that's the way of life," the Australian said.