Telling photo reveals how far Bernard Tomic has fallen: Aussie collects minor trophy in front of ZERO fans instead of playing at packed Melbourne Park after Aussie Open snub
- Tomic denied wildcard to the Australian Open for the first time since 2008
- He was also denied a wildcard for qualification, locking him out of the slam
- Tomic was forced to play Challenger tournament in Qatar in front of no one
- In a further blow, he lost the final to an opponent ranked 778 in the world
Doha’s Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex is a far cry from Melbourne Park and the Australian Open, as fallen Aussie tennis star Bernard Tomic has found out.
As the likes of John Millman and Olivia Gadecki soaked up the rapturous applause of thousands of supporters in their opening round wins at the Australian Open, Tomic stood on a court in front of no-one to collect his prize this week.
Tomic, once ranked as high as No.17 in the world, was denied a wildcard entry to the Australian Open, missing the tournament for the first time since 2008.
Bernard Tomic with his runner-up trophy at the M15 Doha 2023 Tennis Tournament in Qatar, pictured with winner Estonian Kristjan Tamm, who is ranked 778th in the world
He has now sunk to 468th in the world and is relegated to playing Challenger Tour events to try and rebuild his shattered career.
Not only was Tomic not given a wildcard to the main event in Melbourne, he was also denied a wildcard to the qualifying tournament that could have seen him earn his place at the grand slam.
If he had been accepted into the qualifying tournament, he could have earned a lucky loser spot after fellow Australian Nick Kyrgios was ruled out through injury, but the door was shut as well.
His fallout with Tennis Australia and Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt would not have helped his chances.
Tomic is seen in action during his match against Russia’s Roman Safiullin during their Australian Open Qualifying match at Kia Arena in Melbourne Park in 2022
The winners and runners-up – including Tomic – are presented on court in Doha, Qatar with nobody in the stands to cheer them on
Ultimately, Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tilley said the decision had come down to backing youth.
‘Our team that looks at the decision has a team of people that looks at the decision of wildcards,’ he said.
‘[They look at] the player coming in, the strength of their play, what events they’ve been playing, how much they’ve been playing, are they the younger part of our future generation. There’s many factors that go into it.’
So Tomic was forced to pack his kitbag and head back overseas to grind away on the Challenger Tour once more, this time claiming the runner-up prize at the M15 Doha 2023 Tennis Tournament.
He was beaten by Estonian Kristjan Tamm, who is ranked 778th in the world.
Tomic posted an image of him with Tamm on his Instagram account with the caption: ‘Great start to the year. Thanks for having me Qatar’.
Needless to say his social media ‘fans’ were not thrilled with his latest achievement.
Fans cheer during the match between John Millman of Australia and Marc-Andrea Huesler of Switzerland during day one of the 2023 Australian Open
‘How come you’re not playing in the AO?’ one fan asked sarcastically.
‘Because he’s playing in amateur tournaments and he’s not up to grand slam class,’ replied another.
Others were more supportive of Tomic, who has managed to grind his way back from being ranked in the 800s to reach his current ranking.
‘8 points closer to where you belong. Consistency and positive mindset the past 6 months have been inspiring,’ said one fan.
‘Keep going bro. Its always darkest before the dawn,’ said another.
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