Bernard Tomic has insisted that he is ready to show the tennis world that he has matured.
The Australian burst onto the scene as an 18-year-old at Wimbledon, but he has since failed to build upon his early promise, amid concerns about his reported party lifestyle.
However, now 22, the former SW19 quarter-finalist has revealed that he is concentrating only on his career.
"All that other stuff is in the past. It was all when I was 18 or 19 years old. I had a lot of stuff thrown my way - money, girls. It's very easy to get distracted but now the job is to play tennis and do the job as good as I can," he told reporters.
"There's stuff that can happen that distracts you but that's life. I'm 22, now is the time for maturity. I have to focus as much as I can on tennis and do the best I can for the next seven or eight years."
Tomic will compete at the Australian Open next month, where he has never previously gone beyond the fourth round.
Liam Apicella
