Bernard Tomic won’t contest Australian Open qualifying, set to sit out home Grand Slam
BERNARD Tomic is set to sit out the Australian Open after telling officials he won’t contest next week’s qualifying event at Melbourne Park. What’s next for the junior star?
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BERNARD Tomic is set to sit out the Australian Open after telling officials he won’t contest next week’s qualifying event at Melbourne Park.
Tomic’s decision not to compete in qualifying is the latest chapter in the widening rift between the Queenslander and Australian tennis figures.
Formerly ranked No 17 in the world, Tomic’s dismal 2017 season has the Gold Coaster wallowing at No 140.
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The Wimbledon quarter-finalist rejected Davis Cup captain — and former ally — Lleyton Hewitt’s offer to join a training camp in Melbourne in December.
He also knocked back the chance to play the Australian Open wildcard playoffs, a decision which shocked Hewitt and fellow senior TA performance figures Wally Masur and Jason Stoltenberg.
The Herald Sun understands Tomic would have been considered strongly for a discretionary wildcard into the Open had he turned up at the training camp and contested the playoff.
That door has now been slammed shut.
“We made the offer — Lleyton did — we said ‘We’d just like you to play the Australian Open wildcard playoff and if you just make yourself available, you give yourself a good chance to get in’,” Craig Tiley said.
“Now to get into the Australian Open, he’s not going to be getting a wildcard.
“He’d have to go into qualifying so that’s a decision for him.
“I would hope that Bernie would want to play (qualifying), but he’s indicated that that’s likely not the case.
“We all know Bernie can play the game, he’s had some great wins here. He’s one of Australia’s top players and we’d love to see him competing and playing.
“(But) his decision will be his.”
There are two discretionary wildcards left into men’s singles.
Grand slam junior champions Omar Jasika and Alexei Popyrin and retiring Sam Groth and Marc Polmans are among the contenders.
Tiley said Tomic could still reignite a stalled career but would need to repatriate himself into the Australian tennis fold.
Asked if the former Davis Cup stalwart’s isolation from Hewitt and other Australian players was career-ending, Tiley said it is more “a fork in the road.”
“Being a professional athlete is a long journey and we’ve supported Bernie for a long, long time,” Tiley said.
“Lleyton is doing a fantastic job with the Davis Cup team and he’s made it very clear to Bernie (that) to be part of that team and part of the opportunities, there’s certain things you gotta do.
“If Bernie does those, he’ll see the opportunities coming his way.
“The offer was put out to him.
“At the time, he chose not to take up the offer.”
Originally published as Bernard Tomic won’t contest Australian Open qualifying, set to sit out home Grand Slam
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