Bernard Tomic pulls out of ATP Challenger final to prioritise US Open qualifying, Barranquilla, Colombia

Bernard Tomic has proven his haters wrong by sacrificing a great chance to end a seven-year trophy drought to pursue his ultimate goal of playing in a grand slam again.

The 32-year-old veteran has turned his life and career around in the last 24 months and his new-found focus has seen him climb up the ranks at a rapid rate.

At the end of August 2022, Tomic was a 29-year-old ranked 835 in the world, and completely off the radar.

Watch the biggest Aussie sports & the best from overseas LIVE on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.

From a career-high of World No.17 in January 2016, it was as low as he had been since his initial rise after turning pro, and it was a point where many tennis players would have thrown in the towel.

But not for Tomic. Having once bragged about “counting his millions” after a lacklustre performance in Australian Open qualifying in 2018, he has put in the hard yards grinding on the ITF Tour.

While in 2025 the Aussie has again started to compete on the ATP circuit, climbing up to 184 in the world, which will soon be World No. 169 when rankings next update.

And in a true showing that he is hungrier than ever to succeed, Tomic forewent the opportunity to claim an an elusive title to chase his dream of again playing on the biggest stage.

Tomic reached his second ATP Challenger final this month, where he was drawn to face world No. 314 Arthur Fery, a man ranked well below him, providing him the perfect chance to finally claim a title and $22,000 in prize money.

However, after the weather in Barranquilla, Colombia, didn’t want to play ball, the final was delayed 24 hours.

Fans were then left stunned when hours later, news trickled in that Tomic had withdrawn from the final, with Fery crowned champion.

While initially the decision raised eyebrows, it was ultimately revealed that it was because Tomic had a plane to catch, giving up his chance of winning a title to try and qualify for the US Open, which would mark his first grand slam appearance in nearly five years.

And Tomic hasn’t played at Flushing Meadows since 2018, where he was beaten by Thanasi Kokkinakis in the first round of qualifying.

But a rejuvenated Tomic isn’t giving up on playing on the big stage again, set to take on American Patrick Kypson, the world No. 212, in the first round of qualifying.

If he overcomes that challenge, Tomic will likely face Pierre Hugues-Herbert in the second round.

While a third-round win would see Tomic make the US Open main draw and see him score a hefty $170,000 payday.

Lately, Tomic has shown glimpses of the player who was once ranked 17th in the world.

In June, he defeated world No. 77 Aleksandar Kovacevic and Aussie world No. 88 Rinky Hijikata.

And speaking about what brought about his career resurgence, Tomic told the Changeover podcast that his goal is again to crack the top 100 and try to fulfil his potential, so he

can one day retire without regret.

“Tennis has become part of my life ever since I was seven. Obviously, I had a dad that pushed me extremely hard, and that’s one of the reasons I got there, in a sense,” Tomic said in June.

“But when you look at this whole picture, now that I’m 32, it’s a purpose. It still gives me something to do. Without tennis, I don’t know what I would do.

“I’m sitting about 200 in the world, or whatever, and my goal is to be top 100, and then I can retire. It’s more of a statement, that sort of thing, so let’s see if I can do it.

“But the whole sort of sense you’ve got to find your purpose, something that gets you going now that you’re older, you want something to give. And it’s about tennis.

“It’s the only thing I’m good at. I’ve been good at it for almost three decades, so it gets me going. I can still play decent. I’m not in my prime like I was … but that’s why I’m challenging myself to get back there one more time. And then retire happy, guilt-free.”

Tomic will next take on Kypson in the first round of US Open qualifying on Wednesday (AEDT).