During controversial tennis player Bernard Tomic’s bizarre appearance on 60 Minutes on Sunday night, there was one question audiences couldn’t answer:
Why did he keep winking at interviewer Allison Langdon?
It was off putting and also… highly inappropriate.
During the interview, which touched on his feud with Lleyton Hewitt, his tendency to make headlines for all the wrong reasons, as well as that one time his father assaulted his son’s tennis partner, Tomic winked more than a dozen times.
Watch part of the 60 Minutes interview. Post continues after video.
Usually, his wink came at the end of a ‘cheeky’ comment, like his insistence that the Australian public has a ‘love-hate’ relationship with him, or the fact that “not everyone can be Roger Federer”.
Allison Langdon’s expression, while mostly stoic, subtly said: Sometimes we need to not wink when we’re being interviewed about our very bad behaviour on a national stage.
So why did Tomic… keep… winking? Here are our theories:
Theory 1: Flirting
It would appear that maybe Tomic was flirting with his interviewer and journalist of over 15 years, Allison Langdon.
She’s currently married, with a child, and was also busy telling Tomic people see him as “lazy, selfish, a brat,” so we think maybe she’s not... interested.
Theory 2: Deflection
Tomic might not play tennis as beautifully as Roger Federer, but one of the 26-year-old’s undeniable talents is deflection. When he lost in round one of the Australian Open, he made the conversation about Lleyton Hewitt, and now, he’s made a bizarre interview where he PHYSICALLY THREATENS HEWITT about his weird winking.
This guy... this guy’s a genius.
Theory 3: Secret messages
One blink means 'I'm joking,' two blinks means 'Na, I'm actually serious,' and three blinks means, 'Lol jks I don't even know anymore'.
It's a code.
Only understood by Russian spies. And maybe Nick Kyrgios.
Theory 4: He's just learnt to wink and he's... proud
Oh.
Congratulations?
Theory 5: He thinks the camera can't see (it can)
Perhaps Tomic wanted to establish some rapport with his interviewer, by sharing a private moment with her. By winking. Repeatedly.
But everyone could see. And no one knew what it meant.
And there was definitely no... rapport.
Theory 6: He has something in his eye
He didn't want to stop the interview to say, 'sorry guys, I got dust in my eye three days ago and I haven't wanted to say anything but it's still there and I think it's a medical emergency'.
So instead he passed it off as a sassy wink. But the truth would've been less weird.
There is, of course, the possibility that Tomic winks when he lies. But after thorough research I've decided that can't be it - he doesn't wink nearly enough.
Tomic's winking unequivocally had a hidden meaning. It's just that no one, least of all Allison Langdon, knew exactly what it was.
Top Comments
It almost looked like an involuntary nervous thing. Was so uncomfortable to watch.
Could it be a nervous thing? Anxiety?