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The 24-year-old Australian lost 6-4 6-3 6-4 to Germany's world number 30 in one hour and 19 minutes.
Tomic was ranked 17 in January 2016 but has fallen to 59 in the world.
He said: "I think I don't respect the sport enough. You know, I'm going to play another 10 years, and I know after my career I won't have to work again."
Tomic, who has won three ATP Tour titles, has earned almost £4m in career prize money, including £35,000 for his defeat by Zverev.
When asked in his post-match news conference if he should repay the money from his limp defeat, he replied: "We all work for money. At 34, maybe I can donate to charity. If you ask Roger Federer if he'll do it, I'll do it."
Tomic, who has not won a tour title since 2015, has struggled for form this year, winning just nine matches overall and losing in the first round at the French Open and now Wimbledon.
"I felt a little bit bored out there," he said.
"The last sort of year or two, nothing motivates. It's not I don't give my best. I still try to go for it in a way."
Nine-time Wimbledon singles champion Martina Navratilova
"It's disrespectful to the sport and disrespectful to the history of the sport. If you can't get motivated at Wimbledon it's time to find another job. The spectators paid good money to come here and watch Wimbledon and the guy shows up and doesn't try, he can't be bothered. Just stay at home.
Australian two-time Wimbledon doubles champion Rennae Stubbs
To say the things that he said in the press conference today is a disgrace.
You're an embarrassment to yourself, and not only to the sport but to Australian tennis.
Tomic was criticised for ruling himself out of the Rio 2016 Olympics because of an "extremely busy" schedule, a year after he was dropped by Tennis Australia - for a second time - from their Davis Cup squad.
He was left out in 2015 after accusing the governing body of abandoning him following hip surgery in 2014, but has since returned to the team.
Further questions were raised about his attitude when he held his racquet by the strings when facing match point in a Madrid Open match last year.
Tomic's career has also been affected by off-court controversy.
In July 2015, he was charged with resisting arrest and trespassing by police in the United States after refusing to leave a hotel room.
His father John was sentenced to eight months in prison for assaulting his son's training partner before the 2013 Madrid Open.

The female has taken up residence at the Loch of the Lowes centre near Dunkeld, which was home to Lady, thought to be the world's oldest breeding raptor, for 24 years.
A stringent protection programme is put in place once eggs are laid at an osprey nest.
The Loch of the Lowes nest is being monitored around the clock.
Staff at Loch of the Lowes fear former resident Lady may be dead, after she failed to return to the nest for the first time in a quarter of a century.
The venerable osprey, who would be 30 this year, laid almost 70 eggs and reared 50 chicks at the reserve.
Her mate of recent years, known as Laddie, has mated with the new female, and the pair united to chase off two other female intruders which had tried to move in to the area.
Scottish Wildlife Trust ranger Charlotte Fleming said there was "plenty of excitement" at the centre as the new female laid her first egg.
She said: "Now there is an egg on the nest, the osprey protection programme will begin in earnest. The Trust operates a 24-hour watch on the nest site to ensure the safety of the birds and the egg.
"Hopefully in the coming days there will be more eggs, as ospreys can lay up to four in a season."
The Trust operates a live webcam at the nest, which attracted more than a million viewers from 96 different countries last year.
Bernard Tomic says he felt "bored" and could not find motivation during his straight-set defeat by Mischa Zverev at Wimbledon.
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A new female osprey which has nested at a Scottish Wildlife Trust reserve in Perthshire has laid her first egg.