Grass not complete answer for Tomic, says Eagle

Channel crossing: Bernard Tomic is happy to leave Paris for British grass. Photo: AFP

As much as Bernard Tomic may expect the welcome shift from clay to grass to instantly transform his difficult season, Davis Cup coach Josh Eagle has warned the world No.80 not to assume his favourite surface will not automatically be the career-reviving panacea he would like.

As Marinko Matosevic's straight sets loss to Andy Murray emptied the French Open draw of its last Australian man at the second round stage, Tomic who had earlier lost 6-2, 6-1, 7-5 to 12th seed Richard Gasquet left Paris for London on Thursday to start an extended preparation for the Wimbledon lead-up event at Queen's Club.

The 21-year-old is yet to win a main draw match after double hip surgery in January, and remains a magnet for on-court criticism and off-court scandal. But the 2011 Wimbledon quarter-finalist is a proven, enthusiastic performer on grass as he needs to be in the coming weeks to help salvage a ranking that is plummeting towards the danger zone.

"It's almost a relief for Bernie that the clay swing is over and he can try and focus on getting some wins on the grass,'' Eagle said. "He very much feels he can just flick the switch and start winning; it's not going to be as easy as that. Knowing Bernie as I do, I honestly believe he's the sort of guy that will go to the grass and feel like 'right, I'm going to have some wins now, this is my surface, and this is my time to shine'. Easier said than done, though. That's the problem.

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"It was pretty clear in his match with Gasquet, that not only was his movement struggling, but I think he was struggling with confidence, so some wins on the grass at Queen's would give him a real boost, and he's just a really good player on grass, whereas a lot of the field are not comfortable on it.

"I would expect Bernie to do pretty well, but he does need to start having some wins soon, or otherwise it'll put pressure on his ranking, and the last thing he needs is to fall outside the top 100, because he's too good to be ranked where he is, and I'm not sure how he'll handle having to play some qualifying events and stuff like that.''

While Tomic admitted his dislike of the French Open, it may prove to have a far more positive effect on Matosevic, who had so memorably celebrated his first grand slam match win in 13 attempts with an extended claycourt roll he ended only because he started to feel dizzy. A swift 6-3, 6-1, 6-3 reality check followed on Thursday against Wimbledon champion and seventh seed Andy Murray, but the effects could be extended.

Matosevic says he is already playing more freely the much-discussed burden of a barren grand slam record having finally, mercifully, been lifted with his four-set success against fellow journeyman Dustin Brown. "Everything came easier,'' he said. "Even though (Murray) won pretty comfortably against me, I feel much better on the court now ... I just feel free to play now, I don't have to think about that, it's done with, thank God."

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Grass not complete answer for Tomic, says Eagle