Bernard Tomic has claimed he had Covid while participating in the Australian Open qualifiers, after he was overlooked for a wildcard to this year’s first Grand Slam.
The 29-year-old had participated in every major at Melbourne Park since 2008 and, after being snubbed for a wildcard for this year’s event, he had to earn his spot. But his campaign is already over after suffering a 6-1, 6-4 defeat to Roman Safiullin in the opening round of qualifying inside the new 5000-seat arena at Melbourne Park.
But while trailing 2-1 early in the second set, the former Australian Open junior champion made a surprising admission to chair umpire Aline Da Rocha Nocinto while also making a complaint. “For sure in the next two days I will test positive, I’m telling you. I’m telling you,” Tomic said.
“I will buy you dinner if I don’t test positive in three days. Otherwise you buy me dinner,” Tomic said. “I cannot believe nobody is getting tested. They are allowing players to come onto the court with rapid tests in their room – c’mon. No official PCR testing.” It has recently been announced by the tournament that players will be allowed to keep playing even if they test positive or show symptioms of Covid-19.
JUST IN: Nick Kyrgios bites back with ‘disgrace’ remark ahead of Novak Djokovic Aus Open exhibition
After a crushing loss and now without the opportunity to compete at his home slam, Tomic was unavailable for post-match media commitments due to the uncertainty over his health after he reported his symptoms. He later posted in an Instagram story: “Feeling really sick, I’m now back in my hotel room.
“Just spoke to the doctors on site and they’ve asked me to isolate. They couldn’t treat me yet to avoid contact. Thank you for all the support on the court today. I really appreciate it! I’ll do better next time. Very disappointed as I really wanted to make Aussies proud and perform well on my home turf.”
Currently ranked 464, Tomic was relying on a wildcard to have a chance to play at the prestigious event this year outright, but officials overlooked him. When a Twitter user suggested Tomic deserved a wildcard, Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios, who has engaged in verbal spats with Tomic in the past, wrote in capital letters: “Hahahahaha NO HE DOESNT”, with the tweet since receiving over 200 likes.
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The controversial Australian is set to play Novak Djokovic in a repeat of last year’s Wimbledon final in a fundraiser on Rod Laver Arena before the Australian Open on Friday, which sold out in just 58 minutes. The match against the Serb takes place on the same day as the release of Netflix documentary Break Point in which Kyrgios speaks about a “chaotic” period in his career.
“My life was just kind of spiralling out of control – drinking every single night,” Kyrgios says in the documentary, which is a 10-part series focusing on the next generation of players who are likely to challenge legends Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. “For four, five years of my career, it was just so chaotic.
“I don’t really have any expectations in my matches anymore – I just want to go out there, have fun, and take the pressure off, and we can kind of live more of a normal life.”
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