Out-of-form Bernard Tomic not 'motivated' for Davis Cup in 2017

Australian tennis player Bernard Tomic, whose slump in form in 2017 continued at the Monte Carlo Masters, has closed the door on helping Australia reach their first Davis Cup final in more than a decade, saying "Davis Cup is not his priority right now" and that he focuses on improving his ranking.

Tomic, ranked 43, suffered a sixth straight loss in the first round of the Monte Carlo Masters on Monday as he went down to Argentine Diego Schwartzman 6-1, 7-6 (7/3).

Tomic's last victory came three months ago at the Australian Open, where he reached the third round before losing to Brit Dan Evans.

"Don't get me wrong, Davis Cup is an amazing event and it's a huge thing for us in Australia, but it's not my priority right now," the Guardian quoted the Queenslander as saying.

"My priority is to get back into the top 20 in the world and push for the top 10."

"My priority now is getting into the top 10, back to the top 20 in the world, so I have to work hard, and once I settle myself, I can think more about playing Davis Cup. I played so much Davis Cup in my life that it's just something that I'm not motivated for," the World No. 43 added.

Tomic will play in Barcelona next week and then Istanbul, Madrid and Rome before the French Open.