Bernard Tomic will not be competing at this year's Australian Open after losing his final qualifying round 6-1 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 to Italian Lorenzo Sonego.
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After a sluggish start to the match that saw Tomic brushed aside in the first set by his world no.218 opponent inside 20 minutes, the Aussie found some spirit in the second and held his nerve to claim a tie-break 7-5.
The 25-year-old however came up short in the final set meaning he'll now miss his first major in seven years.
It's a less than ideal start to 2018 for Tomic who voiced his difficulty finding passion for the sport last year, suggesting it was more about money and voiced a similar sentiment after this loss.
“I just count money, that's all I do," Tomic told reporters after the match.
"I count my millions. You go do what I did.
"You go make 13-14 million.
"Good luck guys."
Incidentally, Tomic walks away from qualifying with an extra $25,000 having won his first two qualifiers.
It was a bad day all round for Australians with John-Patrick Smith and Bradley Mousley also both missing out on qualification at the final hurdle.
