BERNARD'S BABY BABBLE

Even in defeat, young Bernard Tomic did a lot right on the court during the second round of his Australian Open match with Marin Cilic.

This 17 year old precocious talent looked the number 14 seed squarely in the eye, taking two sets off the 14th seeded Croatian before losing in five, 6-7 6-3 4-66-2 6-4. A great sign for the future and Tomic should take plenty of confidence on his busy sojourn around the international circuit in 2010.

But that's where the good stuff ended. Off the court and into the media interview room, and Tomicitis struck again. Take it away Bernard.

"To finish at this time, it's tough. You know, look, I have no excuses, but I think if I'd have played during the day, which I requested, it could have been all changed. I think I should have won," Tomic said.

"But I'm proud of the way I played. It's difficult for me, I had the same problem last year.

"After 1am, 2am, for a 17-year-old to go out and play, it's difficult. For the people I requested to play during the day, and it didn't happen, I think it's ridiculous."

Point one. Please don't tell us there are no excuses, only to add he would have won with different scheduling. That's an excuse.

Point two. The scheduling may have its pitfalls -- many critics attest to that -- but it is the same for both players at both ends of the court. So, tick to that point. But the moment Tomic said, 'for a 17-year-old...' he was in credibility trouble.

Age should have nothing to do with scheduling for Grand Slam tennis. If he's good enough to compete, he competes under the same circumstances as every other player. To expect organisers to schedule matches according to sleep requirements of particular players is a ridiculous and immature notion.

International tennis is a tough game. There's much to learn for young players and it's not just about serving, receiving, backhands, forehands, volleys and overhead smashes. It's also about mental toughness and, to a degree, how to engage the public relations battle.

Team Tomic is on track with the on-court elements of tennis education. Unfortunately, much work is required when it comes to talking about the game.

Incidentally, this is not a 'bag Tomic blog', despite successive posts critical of his persona. It's exciting for Australian tennis to watch his emergence. We can only cross our fingers and pray that he doesn't continue to shoot himself in the foot.