Bernard Tomic, who is nicknamed ‘Tomic the Tank Engine’ due to his habit of giving up during games, has appealed an $81,000 fine after his loss to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
The Australian former world number 17 went down to French Tsonga, 34, during a singles match in Wimbledon on Tuesday after only 58 minutes, the shortest game in 15 years.
Tomic, 26, seemed disinterested during the match and was fined for his performance, but now says he will appeal the penalty as he was not feeling well.
The fine was all of his Wimbledon prize money.
Tomic (pictured) received an $81,000 fine after he tanked in another match during his Wimbledon game against French player Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Tomic is well known for his controversial game behaviour, where on multiple occassions he seemed bored and barely attempted to run for the ball.
The 26-year-old claimed his poor performance was due to being unwell and run down from the weekend.
‘From the start of the match I knew I had very little chance because I was feeling down, but I thought I would go on court to try (because) it’s Wimbledon,’ Tomic said.
‘At the end of the day, my best efforts were super poor that day but it’s all I had.
‘Sorry, guys, for feeling unwell.’
During a post match interview he admitted he played at an extremely low standard.
‘Yeah, I mean, I played pretty bad.’
‘I just played terrible,’ Tomic said and refused to answer when asked if he put in his best efforts.
Tsonga, despite taking the win, said his success was discredited due to the hefty fine Tomic received.
‘I will say it’s also, for me, it’s like what I did was not win,’ Tsonga said.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (pictured) said the hefty fine discredited his own success
‘It’s like I was just here and I just won because, they said, he didn’t play enough.’
Another controversial tennis star, Nick Kyrgios, ran to the defence of Tomic saying the decision was ‘outrageous’.
‘I don’t agree with fining the guy all of his prize money,’ he said.
‘He’s obviously winning enough to be at the most prestigious tournament in the world. To take all his prize money I think is outrageous. I just hope Bernard is all right.’
Women’s world number 9, U.S. Sloane Stephens also gave her two cents on the matter labelling the decision as ‘dangerous’.
Tomic in a press conference admitted he played badly but said it was due to being unwell
‘Well, he played a 6-4 set. I think now if the tournaments are going to be their own judge and they’re going to do that, then I can’t say I’m 100 per cent on-board with that,’ Stephens said.
Tomic received his nickname after a humiliating loss to Andy Roddick at the 2012 US Open.
He’s performed multiple other acts of poor sportsmanship during his controversial career.
During 2017 he told reporters he felt ‘a little bit bored out there’ after a slaughtering by Mischa Zverev and was fined $26,000.
He’s repeatedly expressed he’s in it for the money saying he ‘counts his millions’ during a press conference in 2018.
‘I just count money, that’s all I do. I count my millions,’ Tomic said after a loss to Italian Lorenzo Sonego.
‘You go do what I did. You go make 13-14 million.’