Yes, Bernard Tomic is vegan, and one of the few professional tennis players to be open about it. He admitted being inspired by Novak Djokovic, the most high-profile name to follow the plant-based lifestyle. The Aussie will hope veganism will fuel his success as it did for his compatriot Nick Kyrgios and the Serb.
Tomic was in the news recently for winning a meagre paycheck of $3600 on the same day as the 2024 Australian Open final. His continued feud with Tennis Australia over his behaviour issues meant he did not receive a wildcard despite his rise up the rankings. This cost him over $75,000, at the very least.
One of the most vocal proponents of veganism, Tomic has mentioned it even on his Instagram bio. Turning to the meat-free lifestyle around 2018, he also recently gave up alcohol.
His fellow Australian Kyrgios has been vegan since 2020, while Djokovic has followed a plant-based diet since the 2010s. Both these athletes found immense success after incorporating this change. Kyrgios reached the 2021 Wimbledon final and won the 2022 Australian Open men’s doubles title. Djokovic, meanwhile, bagged 23 Grand Slams, dominating tennis like never before.
Bernard Tomic has been working on a comeback after falling as low as World No.825 in late 2022. The former World No.17 has been rebuilding since 2023, playing in the Challenger and ITF Tours. Now World No.277, he hopes following the vegan lifestyle contributes to his success like it did for Kyrgios and Djokovic. Currently playing in the Chennai Challenger, he will eye a return to the top 100 soon.
A vegan or plant-based diet predominantly features superfoods like quinoa, millet, wild rice, sweet potato, and fruits and vegetables. Djokovic and Kyrgios’ diets feature such foods prominently, and so would Tomic’s. The changes worked wonders for the former duo, and the maverick 31-year-old will want to follow the same path with his comeback.
Bernard Tomic says Novak Djokovic inspired him to turn vegan
Novak Djokovic is not purely vegan but follows a plant-based diet instead. He also avoids gluten, dairy, and high-sugar foods. He starts his day with juices and smoothies made using fruits, superfoods and supplements. Fruits, berries, nuts, and superfoods dominate his early meals. For instance, his breakfast consists of a mix of various seeds, gluten-free muesli, fruits, berries and mixed nuts with honey. For lunch, he usually consumes pasta with roasted vegetables and olive oil.
Having religiously followed this meal plan for years is a big factor in Djokovic’s success. Bernard Tomic revealed that the World No.1 inspired him to try veganism, and it worked out well for him (News.com).
“A lot of successful people are vegan. I got inspired actually by Novak, so it was something I tried and it worked for me. I don’t think I’ll ever go back to eating anything else so I’m a proud vegan.”
After switching to a vegan diet around 2018, Tomic ended his two-year title drought. He won the 2018 Chengdu Open for the fourth ATP title of his career. However, form, fitness, and behavioral issues, coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic, saw his ranking plummet. Overall, he has won $6,347,095 as prize money in his career for a reported net worth of about $4 million. Tomic will look to bump those numbers up as he works on a comeback fuelled by a vegan diet.
