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Telling photo reveals just how low Bernard Tomic has sunk: Australian picks up minor trophy in front of ZERO fans instead of playing to packed Melbourne Park after Australian Open snub
- Tomic denied the wild card to the Australian Open for the first time since 2008
- He was also denied a wild card for qualification, putting him out of the slam.
- Tomic was forced to play the Challenger tournament in Qatar in front of no one
- In one more 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, Australian tennis star Bernard Tomic discovered.
As the likes of John Millman and Olivia Gadecki absorbed the enthusiastic applause of thousands of fans for their first-round victories at the Australian Open, Tomic stood on a court in front of no one to collect his award this week.
Tomic, once ranked world number 17, was denied a wild card entry to the Australian Open, missing the tournament for the first time since 2008.
Bernard Tomic with his runner-up trophy at the 2023 Doha M15 Tennis Tournament in Qatar, pictured with Estonian winner Kristjan Tamm who is ranked 778th in the world
Now he has sunk to 468th in the world and is relegated to playing Challenger Tour events to try to rebuild his shattered career.
Not only was Tomic not awarded a wild card to the main event in Melbourne, but he was also denied a wild card to the qualifying tournament that could have seen him earn his place at the Grand Slam.
Had he been accepted into the qualifying tournament, he could have earned a lucky loser spot after fellow Australian Nick Kyrgios was ruled out with injury, but the door was also closed.
His fallout with Tennis Australia and Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt would not have improved his chances.
Tomic is seen in action during his match against Roman Safiullin of Russia during their Australian Open qualifying match at Kia Arena in Melbourne Park in 2022
The winners and runners-up, including Tomic, take to the pitch in Doha, Qatar, with no one in the stands to cheer them on.
Ultimately, Tennis Australia chief executive Craig Tilley said the decision had come down to backing the youth.
“Our team looking at the decision has a team of people looking at the wild-card decision,” he said.
‘[They look at] the player coming in, the strength of their game, what events they have been playing, how much they have been playing, they are the younger part of our future generation. There are many factors involved.
So Tomic was forced to pack up his backpack and return abroad to compete on the Challenger Tour once again, this time claiming the runner-up prize at the 2023 Doha M15 Tennis Tournament.
He was beaten by Estonian Kristjan Tamm who is ranked 778 in the world.
Tomic posted a picture of him with Tamm on his Instagram account with the caption: ‘Great start to the year. Thank you for having me Qatar’.
Needless to say, her social media ‘fans’ weren’t thrilled with her latest achievement.
Fans cheer during the match between John Millman of Australia and Marc-Andrea Huesler of Switzerland during the first day of the Australian Open 2023
‘How come you’re not playing in the AO?’ a fan sarcastically asked.
“Because he’s playing in amateur tournaments and he’s not up to the Grand Slams,” replied another.
Others were more supportive of Tomic, who managed to come back from being ranked in the 800 to reach his current ranking.
‘8 points closer to where you belong. The consistency and positive mindset of the last 6 months has been inspiring,” said one fan.
‘Keep going brother. It is always darkest before dawn,” said another.