Bernard Tomic returned to action for the first time since September 2021 and it wasn't without controversy for the former top 20 player.
Tomic played in Australian Open qualifying and lost 6-1, 6-4 to Roman Safiullin who impressed so much in the ATP Cup but said to the umpire he believed he had COVID-19 saying he would wager a meal if he was wrong.
“I’m sure in the next two days I will test positive, I’m telling you,” he said to the umpire, Aline Da Rocha Nocinto.
“I’ll buy you dinner if I don’t test positive in three days, otherwise you buy me dinner.”
Venting his frustration, Tomic said that he wasn't given a PCR but Tennis Australia clarified that all players needed to complete one.
“They’re allowing players to come on court with rapid tests in their room, c’mon … no official PCR testing,” he continued.
Further to this, he took to Instagram to say he was really sick and told to isolate.
“Feeling really sick, I’m now back in my hotel room,” Tomic wrote.
“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.”
An update from Bernard Tomic who says he’s feeling “really sick”. Bizarre he went on-site feeling like this.
Convinced he's symptomatic with Covid, Bernard Tomic loses 6-1, 6-4 in 56 minutes to Roman Safiullin. Safiullin proactively offered a fistbump; Tomic accepted. And yes, #AusOpen protocols would certainly not encourage a player to come on site with symptoms during a pandemic.
