After a heart-stopping loss of 23 minutes into the first set, the Australian trailed 2-1 during a second set substitution when he told Brazilian referee Aline Da Rocha Nocinto he would test positive for Covid-19 within 48 hours and criticized the tournament’s testing rules.
“I’m sure I’ll test positive for the next two days, I’m telling you,” Tomic said.
‘If I don’t test positive within three days, I’ll pay for food for you, otherwise you’ll buy me food.
“I can’t believe no one gets tested. They let players come on the pitch with quick tests in their room…no official PCR testing.”
DailyExpertNews has contacted the Australian Open for comment.
A prodigious youngster, Tomic triumphed at the junior Australian Open in 2008 before reaching a career-high world ranking of number 17 eight years later, but his position has risen sharply since then, with the 29-year-old being decisively beaten by Safiullin.
At the end of the match, Tomic clapped his fists with both Safiullin and Da Rocha Nocinto before leaving the field.
‘Feeling really sick’
Tomic updates his Instagram followers from his hotel room, saying he was “feeling very sick”.
“I feel really sick, I’m back in my hotel room now,” Tomic said.
“I just spoke to the doctors at the scene and they asked me to isolate. They could not treat me yet to avoid contact.
“Thank you for all the support on the pitch today. I really appreciate it! I’ll do better next time. I’m really disappointed as I really wanted to make Aussies proud and perform well on my own turf. I’ll keep you posted .”
Tomic’s comments about the Australian Open’s Covid protocols come amid the ongoing saga of Novak Djokovic’s entry into the world rankings in the tournament.
Still, the unvaccinated 34-year-old could still be deported as the Australian immigration minister considers intervention to remove the tennis player from the country.