One last roll of the dice for Bernie
THE door to Bernard Tomic’s last chance at an Australian Open berth remains open, with tournament organisers encouraging the Australian to grasp his final opportunity.
Tomic, 25, last month rejected an invitation to Tennis Australia’s wildcard playoff. But yesterday he was still entered in the tournament’s final qualifying event, which begins on Wednesday.
It would be the final chance for the world No. 140 – who was overlooked for a Tennis Australia wildcard – to win entry to his home grand slam.
The deadline to withdraw from competing is set for tomorrow afternoon.
Open tournament director Craig Tiley said yesterday he’d “love” Tomic to play in what he considered to be a winnable event at Melbourne Park.
“He’s on the qualifying list – he has until Tuesday afternoon to make himself available to play,” Tiley said.
“It’s up to him. He can withdraw up until that time. He hasn’t yet. Of course, we would love him to play.
“We want him to play and to have that opportunity. He is good enough to qualify and get into the main draw, and the decision is up to him.”
Tomic ended his 2017 season in a challenger tour event in Slovakia in November.