Bernard Tomic believes he can return to The All England Club as a title contender after having his European summer resurgence halted by a second-round Wimbledon defeat.
Tomic had his opportunities in a 2-6 6-3 7-6 (9-7) 7-5 loss to Japanese ace Kei Nishikori, but paid the price for being unable to convert any of three break-point chances in the pivotal third set.
"I started feeling pretty bad out there. I've just been sick the last week," he said.
"But he's playing well and is a world-class player and this is a slam he hasn't done well - he's only reached the fourth round a couple of times, but I think if he plays good like this he can go deep."
Tomic leaves London encouraged after winning 15 of his past 19 matches over the past two months, having not tasted victory before that since January and taking time out for a stint on reality TV.
"I was 240 in the world, 250, and I was defending 250 points from last year," he said.
"Now I think I'm 140 or so and I've got nothing to defend for the rest of the year.
"So I'd like to finish in the top 60, top 70 in the world, but I'll try my best. I've got to feel better.
"I was pretty sick the last week. I somehow got back in the draw, gave myself a chance, won my first match here, got some points.
"For me, it's good. But to beat Kei here, you need to be healthy and ready."
At 25, Tomic maintains his best years are still ahead of him.
And with 30-something grand slam giants Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic all surely nearing the end, the former Wimbledon quarter-finalist maintains he still has time to get his hands on tennis's most famous trophy.
"Absolutely. I have got to get back to being seeded - top 12 to 16 is very important to play here to avoid good players in the first or second round.
"I have always played well here."
Tomic's more immediate focus is the American hard-court swing.
"I am entered in all the tournaments in the US," he said.
"Last year up to the US Open I didn't play a single tennis match. I took two and a half months off.
"I've got the opportunity to play Atlanta, Newport, Toronto and then the US Open qualies.
"Maybe until then I can finish in the top 100 If I get those 200 points. But my focus is to get healthy and get to the US Open."
