The aspirations of Bernard Tomic at the Australian Open have come to an abrupt end after his disappointing performance in the qualifying rounds at Melbourne Park. This 33-year-old former tennis prodigy was eager to make a comeback and secure a spot in the main draw for the first time in five years. However, his journey ended prematurely as he faced defeat against Great Britain's Arthur Fery, with a scoreline of 6-4, 6-2 during their Wednesday match.
Fery, just 23 years old and originally from France, has now marked two consecutive victories over Australian players, having previously overcome Edward Winter in the first round. Despite expressing his excitement about competing before local crowds following his initial win against Bolivia's 25th seed Hugo Dellien, Tomic opted to avoid the media, simply stating "Not today" as he walked past reporters.
Currently ranked 184, Tomic has spent most of the past year competing on the ATP Challenger Tour, but he emerged from 2025 with a notable performance, achieving his best season in seven years. Over the course of the year, he participated in 35 tournaments, securing 44 wins against 35 losses and earning nearly $360,000 in prize money. Nonetheless, one has to wonder if this could be the last time we see Tomic at Melbourne Park, as his last appearance in the Open was in 2021 when he reached the second round.
In another twist of fate, the Australian Open journey for Ajla Tomljanovic is now under threat after she was compelled to retire due to injury during her match against fellow Australian Maya Joint at the Adelaide International. Tomljanovic initially took a strong lead, winning the first two games in this all-Australian second-round encounter on Wednesday night, but soon found herself sidelined with a right shoulder injury.
After leading 2-0 and facing deuce in the third game, the 32-year-old called for a medical timeout. Unfortunately, the world No. 76, who received a wildcard entry into the Adelaide WTA 500 tournament, was unable to continue, casting doubt on her participation in the upcoming Open that starts this Sunday in Melbourne. Meanwhile, world No. 32 Joint, who is now the top-ranked female player in Australia, advanced to the quarterfinals in South Australia.
Earlier on Wednesday, Daria Kasatkina's hopes of claiming her first title since switching to represent Australia were dashed as she exited in the second round. In contrast, Madison Keys, the reigning Australian Open champion and also defending her title in Adelaide, successfully moved on to the quarterfinals after her match.
