'Massive talent' Bernard Tomic returns to court in Winnipeg after Wimbledon controversy

One of the biggest enigmas in men's tennis will hit the court in Winnipeg Wednesday, barely a week after bowing out of the world's most prestigious tournament in controversial fashion.

Australia's Bernard Tomic was beaten 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 by France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Wimbledon's first round last Tuesday. He dropped the best-of-five-set match in a scant 58 minutes, prompting tournament officials to fine him the British equivalent of nearly $74,000 Cdn for not meeting "the required professional standards."

Tomic's hasty exit from the All-England Club made headlines all over the tennis world, including in Winnipeg, where he was scheduled to play in the National Bank Challenger this week. For tournament manager Mark Arndt, it raised some doubts about whether his top seed would make the trip.

"You think in the back of your mind, you know, he might not show up," said Arndt, who also serves as executive director of Tennis Manitoba.

But true to his word, Tomic arrived in Winnipeg on Sunday. Arndt said the 26-year-old turned out to be "a very nice guy" when he met him — although he didn't bring up the sensitive subject of what happened in London a few days earlier.

"I was very just very thankful when I saw that he was actually sitting on our courts, getting ready to tie up his shoes and get his racquet ready and go hit some balls," Arndt said. "It was nice to see him here and in the end, I'm very happy that he's here."

Made Wimbledon quarter-finals in 2011

One of the high points in Tomic's career came in 2011, when he made it to the quarter-finals at Wimbledon, losing in four sets to eventual champion Novak Djokovic.

He hasn't gone that far at a Grand Slam event since, although he did manage to raise his world ranking to a career high of 17 in January of 2016.

"He's probably the most prominent player that we've had here in Winnipeg in [the history of] our tournament," Arndt said.

"The guy has massive talent, obviously, to make it to the quarter-finals of Wimbledon."

Now ranked 96th in the world, Tomic has seen his talent overshadowed in recent years by a perceived lack of effort on the court. One of those incidents came at Wimbledon in 2017, when he said he "felt a little bit bored" during a first-round loss and admitted he wasn't injured when he called for a medical time out.

The incident drew a fine from the tournament and caused him to be dropped by his racquet sponsor.

As a tournament director, Arndt hopes he never has to take similar action against a player.

"It's tough," he said. "Unless you're in that man's shoes, you don't know exactly what he's ... going through that day or what his mindset is."

In the days since his lopsided loss to Tsonga, Tomic has said he plans to challenge the fine, saying he "was run down and became a bit unwell" after travelling to London from an event in Turkey, where he played in 40 C heat.

"I then competed with one of the top five players on grass, losing 6-2, 6-1, 6-4. I didn't lose 6-0, 6-0, 6-0," he told News Corp Australia.

Many of Tomic's fellow pros, including Djokovic and fellow Aussie Nick Kyrgios, have said the fine — which is the equivalent of the prize money he would have earned — was unfair.

"I mean, one, Tsonga is an unbelievable player," Kyrgios said at a Wimbledon post-match press conference.

"Two, I think people … when they watch Bernard, they just think because he moves a little slow, plays the game a little slower, he doesn't look maybe as engaged," he said.

"They just assume he's maybe not trying or giving 100 per cent. To take all his prize money, I think is outrageous."

Arndt said he's confident Tomic will be properly motivated when he hits the court this week for the National Bank Challenger tournament, which began Monday and runs through Sunday. Even though the hard courts at 705 North Drive are a long way from the hallowed lawns of the All-England Club, they may hold the ticket to a bigger prize later this summer.

"If he does well here — semis and on — then he will get some points that'll really put him in a good position to qualify for the U.S. Open at the end of August."

Tomic's first match is tentatively set for 1:10 p.m. on Wednesday, against Nicaise Muamba, an 18-year-old Canadian who doesn't yet have a world ranking.

Also scheduled to play on Wednesday will be third-seeded Brayden Schnur and fourth-seeded Peter Polansky, two Canadians Arndt believes will contend for the title with Tomic.

Tickets for an entire day's action can be purchased at the gate for $10. The price goes up to $15 for the semifinals and finals on the weekend.