Immensely talented Aussie Bernard Tomic’s disappointing season has been a major talking point in the entire ATP tour. After Novak Djokovic criticized the 20 year-old, Swiss maestro Roger Federer has come out in support of the stuttering Aussie by saying that he can relate to Tomic’s situation by comparing him to his younger undisciplined self.

Josh Eagle – a fellow Queenslander got a chance to speak to the Swiss champion after the then World No.1 had reached his 110th career final at the Swiss indoors in Basel, while on the other hand the troubled right-hander was able to win just two games in the tournament.

''Federer was suggesting that he could relate a little bit to the pressure that Tomic was facing as he is essentially one of the young guns marked for success,'' Eagle said.

''Fed was saying how when he was young he used to get frustrated and angry during matches and then end up playing badly.

''I was surprised at how aware the top guys were of Tomic and his progression. A year ago, most players were a little scared of playing him. He must be careful that he keeps performing, otherwise he loses the X-factor that he had worked hard to get.

''At the moment players are not afraid to play him and talk spreads quickly in the locker room about other players' strengths and weaknesses. They almost feed off this.''

Tomic’s ranking plummeted from a high of 27 in the world to 52 now, as he suffered early exits from Wimbledon and then the US Open. Tomic also got into trouble for saying that he played at “85 percent” of his total capacity at the New York event.