Update 7:40 pm. Andy Murray holds no doubts Bernard Tomic has the goods to make the big time despite handing the Australian a 6-2 6-3 defeat in their Brisbane International semifinal.
The top seed, playing for the first time with new coach Ivan Lendl in his corner, dominated on serve throughout, while nullifying what would have been certain winners against slower opponents with his lightning court speed.
Still, he was full of praise for his crafty 19-year-old opponent after the 1 hour 10 minute affair.
“He’s going to be good, there’s no question, you just never know how good,” Murray said of Tomic.
“A lot depends on the body, a lot depends on how hard you work and also sometimes a little bit of luck helps as well.
“He’s already an excellent player. You know he had [Novak] Djokovic on the ropes in the Wimbledon quarters. Had he physically been maybe a little bit stronger he could have maybe won that match. But you’re never going to be as strong as guys in the mid 20s when you’re 18, 19.”
For Tomic, the Scot was the last of the top four he had not faced and despite the lopsided scoreline he was upbeat about his efforts.
“I’ve played everyone now,” Tomic said.
“For me today losing 6-2 6-3, if you look at it, he beat Rog in a Masters final I think 6-3 6-2 so you can’t be harsh on yourself. He just played really good.”
When asked to rate Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Murray – based on the matches he had played against them – Tomic thought carefully about his choice.
“It’s tough. For me Roger’s one of the best players to play,” he said.
“Having played him on grass is a different thing, but every one of those top four guys are there for a reason.
“I’m sure Murray will win Grand Slams in the future.”
Unable to make any inroads on the Murray serve in the first set, Tomic could see the funny side to the uphill battle ahead of him to break serve in the second.
“I thought it was going to be a piece of cake,” he joked.
After holding for 1-2 in the second, Tomic called for the trainer for a right foot injury.
“I thought I hurt my toe but it was all right, just one of those niggles,” he said.
Tomic, though, made it clear the injury would not hamper his Australian Open campaign.
“Yeah, I don’t even feel it now,” he said of the toe complaint.
“I’m happy with my performance today, got a lot of confidence and I think I’m going to be ready for the Open next week.”
For Murray it sets up a showdown with third seed Alexandr Dolgopolov in tomorrow afternoon’s decider.
“He’s similar in a lot of ways to Bernard,” Murray said of Dolgopolov’s playing style.
“He’s unorthodox, uses a lot of slice, can generate a lot of power from his forehand side but can go through patches where he makes a lot of mistakes.
“He’s inconsistent but that’s what makes him very tough to play against because he goes for it. He plays the match on his terms a lot of the time.”