His place in the French Open has been confirmed but Bernard Tomic is still missing in action at Roland Garros.
Despite doubts over his appearance at the claycourt grand slam following the drama involving his father and coach John, the world No.59 was on Friday drawn to face Romanian Victor Hanescu in the first round.
But while his fellow Australians have been fine-tuning preparations on the red clay in Paris in recent days, Tomic is yet to be sighted at the tournament venue.
Unlike the majority of the French Open field, Tomic opted not to book a training slot on the Roland Garros courts on Friday while he has no scheduled practice on Saturday either.
It’s understood Tomic will remain at his Monte Carlo base until at least Saturday and it’s unlikely he’ll appear at the venue until his opening round match.
The move is likely part of an attempt to shield Tomic from the media spotlight prior to his return to the tour.
The talented 20-year-old has not played or spoken since John Tomic was charged with assaulting his son’s ex-hitting partner, Thomas Drouet, in Madrid.
John Tomic denies assault and will appear in court in October, but in the meantime has had his credentials suspended for ATP events and the French Open.
It remains unclear if John Tomic will travel with his son to Paris but Tennis Australia’s professional tennis manager Todd Woodbridge emphasised this week he remained the world No.59’s coach.
Australian Davis Cup coach Josh Eagle has put his hand up to assist in mentoring Tomic in Paris, though he’s still unsure of what exact role he’ll be playing.
“I think that’s a work in progress, they’re going to wait and see,” Eagle said.
Given the dramatic build up and the fact he would have played only one match in more than a month, Tomic faces a challenging assignment against the 198cm Hanescu.
The pair have met only once before, in Dubai in February, when Tomic withdrew due to illness during the first set.
Should Tomic somehow conjure up a victory, he’d likely meet Ukranian Alexandr Dolgopolov in the second round.