Bernard Tomic’s Australian Open campaign is over before the tournament proper even begins after a three-set final-round qualifying loss to Italian Lorenzo Sonego.
Tomic looked shattered after a 6-1 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 defeat on Sunday, calling for the trainer and not moving to return serves in the often-punishing first set.
He rallied in the second set to force a decider but came up short, snapping his seven-year streak of playing in every major and leaving him at a career crossroads.
He was spent after the taxing loss, sarcastically responding to journalists asking him where he’d go from the loss.
“I just count money, that’s all I do. I count my millions,” he said.
“You go do what I did. Bye bye.”
Tomic, the world No.142, will further slump in the ATP rankings as he will lose his points earned from a third-round appearance at Melbourne Park last year.