Tomic at centre of match-fixing police probe

Bernard Tomic was forced to hand over his phone and was interviewed after a police investigation into suspicious bets made on two of his games.

Australian tennis player Bernard Tomic was caught up in a police probe into possible match-fixing of two of his games – one in which he told an umpire to “buy him dinner” in an outburst about Covid-19.

The revelations come after an investigation by the Age, which outlined how a multi-agency police taskforce was put together to investigate suspicious wagering on two matches involving the former world No. 17.

Tomic made headlines after a mid-court outburst about his struggles with COVID-19 during his 2022 Australian Open match. Picture: Channel 9

Online bookmakers flagged a number of suspicious bets on Tomic’s match with Russian player Roman Safiullin during the Australian Open in 2022 and another match he played months earlier in Turkey.

During the match against Safiullin – Tomic made headlines after a mid-court outburst about his struggles with Covid-19.

“For sure in the next two days I will test positive, I’m telling you. I’m telling you,” Tomic said to the umpire during the match.

He later tested positive to the virus. Picture: Channel 9

Tomic was put into isolation after the match. Picture: Instagram

“I will buy you dinner if I don’t test positive in three days. Otherwise, you buy me dinner,”

Tomic lost the match and ended up returning a positive result for Covid-19 48 hours later.

Police looked into the possibility of links between the online gamblers and Tomic - or one of his associates – in the bets, with the International Tennis Integrity Agency seizing Tomic’s phone and questioning him.

However, the investigation ended after failing to produce enough evidence for criminal charges to be laid.

There is no suggestion Tomic or anyone of his associates are guilty of any criminal conduct – only that they were the subject of a police probe.

He was able to continue his international circuit – with Tomic bowing out of the 2025 Australia Open during the qualifiers.

Bernard Tomic has been knocked out of the 2025 Australian Open. Picture: Kelly Defina/Getty Images

“Tennis Australia’s integrity team has worked with the ITIA and law enforcement agencies since first alerted to concerns relating to betting activity in tennis,” a Tennis Australia spokesman told The Age.

“[Tennis Australia] integrity’s role in any investigation has predominantly been one of support throughout. We have been advised there is no current police investigation into this matter.”

Originally published as Tomic at centre of match-fixing police probe