Aussie tennis player defends match point with the wrong end of the racket

Bernard Tomic’s reverse racket while defending at the Madrid Open hasn’t won him many fans. Image: Clive Brunskill/Getty By Johnny Lieu2016-05-04 03:09:31 UTC

If you’re going to lose, do it with the style of a sullen teenager.

Australian tennis player Bernard Tomic, 23, did just that on Tuesday, deciding for some reason to hold his racket in reverse while trying to “defend” match point at the Madrid Open.

The world number 22 tried, with the least possible amount of effort, to hit back the serve of Italian Fabio Fognini who was up 40-0 in a 5-4 set. Predictably, the ball sailed past the ridiculously small surface area of Tomic’s racket handle. 

Tomic could have tried to win back three points in quick succession given he wasn’t losing by that much, but nah, screw it. Tomic’s appetite for bad behaviour has been a lingering issue for years, varying from accusations of lack of sportsmanship to getting arrested in Miami.

He did not win many fans with the bizarre move, and Twitter was suitably unimpressed by the intentional lack of effort from the Australian.

Tomic. Just when you think he can’t lower the bar any further.

— Andy Maher (@AndyMaherSEN) May 3, 2016

Usually don’t buy in to bagging Tomic/Kyrgios, but this is one of the more disgraceful things you’re likely to see. https://t.co/OtotizLPJS

— Brendan Wrigley (@brendan_wrigley) May 4, 2016

I’d happily show Bernard Tomic the right end of the tennis racquet using his head.

— adam rozenbachs (@arozenbachs) May 3, 2016

We’ll just let the ridiculousness of this picture of Tomic holding a racket the wrong way speak for itself. Try it at home kids, but not on a professional tennis court and not on live TV.

Image: Clive Brunskill/Getty

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