Bernard Tomic admits the next six months are vital to rebuilding his career.

The world No. 142 says he doesn't need Tennis Australia's help to bounce back after an atrocious 2017 season.

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"I never needed the help of Tennis Australia to achieve what I’ve achieved in my career," Tomic told The Melbourne Herald Sun's Lauren Wood. "So for me, it’s not a big problem and I need to get back playing consistent and getting better. For me, that’s the main priority in 2018 and we’ll see how it goes.

"There’s another 10 years of my career left, so for me, it’s no problem."

Tomic, who will face 191st-ranked Frenchman Vincent Millot in tomorrow's opening round of Australian Open qualifying, skipped the TA's wild-card tournament last month.

The former world No. 17, who has posted a 17-4 Davis Cup record for Australia, said he's motivated to come back and concedes he can look "lazy" on court at times.

“My hunger has always been there … sometimes I probably look a bit lazy and stuff—that’s me,” Tomic said. "I don’t really go about at 100 per cent."

The 25-year-old Aussie suffered opening-round losses in 13 of his 21 Tour-level tournaments in 2017 and knows the first half of the 2018 season is crucial if he's to return to the Top 100.

"But this year has to be a good year for me," Tomic told The Herald Sun. "A couple of years back, I was 130 in the world and was also top 20 for two years after that.

"For me, it’s not a big issue, but I just have to find my time in the next six months. It’s going to be very important to me."

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