伯納德·托米奇再次赢得冠军，推迟退役：“我会再打20年”的计划。

Bernard Tomic is back among the top 200 tennis players in the world. The Australian, who reached number 17 in the ATP rankings in 2016, has conquered the Challenger de Lincoln in Nebraska, after coming back against Estonian Mark Lajal, and has experienced an unexpected turnaround in his retirement plans. Just two weeks ago, the player himself stated that he was probably playing his last year as a professional. Now, after lifting another trophy, he no longer seems so sure.

Tomic defeated Lajal this Sunday with a score of 4-6, 7-6, and 7-6 in a final lasting two hours and 41 minutes. A battle that allowed him to claim his first title since 2018, when he won the Chengdu ATP 250, and his fourth Challenger title. The victory has also enabled him to climb 36 positions in the ATP rankings to number 170, his best ranking since last September.

But the most striking moment came during the trophy presentation ceremony. There, Tomic spoke with an unusual honesty about the recent thoughts he had regarding leaving professional tennis. "I'll be as honest as I can. About ten days ago, I hit a wall, maybe two weeks ago. I said this would be my last year, so I guess I have to rethink some things now," admitted the Australian, amidst smiles.

The victory has obviously changed the scenario. Not necessarily because a title resolves all doubts for a 33-year-old player, but because it demonstrates that Tomic can still compete, win matches, and feel like a protagonist on the circuit again: "Now that I've won, I'll have to sit back down. I'll probably play another 20 years," he joked during his champion's speech.

Has the tournament changed Bernard Tomic's career?

The remark was received with humor but also reflects the peculiar moment Bernard Tomic is going through. Not long ago, the Australian seemed far from the spotlight that once accompanied him. Now, however, he is back in the top 200 and is on the threshold of the Australian top 10.

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His career started to attract attention from a very young age. In 2009, at just 16, he became the third youngest player in history to win a Challenger title, only behind Michael Chang and Richard Gasquet. Seven years later, he reached the highest ranking of his career, world number 17. Since then, the path has been much more irregular. Tomic has alternated moments of great talent with challenging periods, struggles to find consistency, and a fluctuating relationship with professional tennis. Therefore, the possibility of retiring seemed like a more imminent choice.

A victory in Nebraska does not erase everything that has happened in the past few years, but it can change a player's perception of his current situation. Tomic has a title again, is back in the top 200, and, above all, he is once again asking himself a question that just two weeks ago seemed to have an answer. Maybe this is not yet the end for Bernard Tomic. Or perhaps it is at some point. But after winning in Lincoln, it seems that retirement will have to wait at least a bit longer.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Bernard Tomic aplaza su retirada tras volver a ganar un título: “Jugaré otros 20 años”