‘Uncomfortable for all the fans here’: Tomic quits mid-match after bizarre ‘couples quarrel’

Forgotten Australian tennis player Bernard Tomic has retired mid-match from an ATP Challengers event after getting into an argument with his girlfriend.

Tomic is currently ranked No. 247 in the world and has been plying his trade on the second tier Challengers circuit in a bid to improve his ranking and get back to playing grand slams.

But things didn’t go well for the 31-year-old in his match against Japan’s World No. 265 Yuta Shimizu at the Little Rock Open in the American state of Arkansas.

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Tomic lost the first set 6-1 and looked disengaged throughout the match in scenes that have come all too familiar for Australian tennis fans.

He complained of illness during the match and called for a doctor several times, but with no doctor available on court, he had to play on.

But before the second set started, Tomic got into an argument with his girlfriend Keely Hannah, who was sitting in the stands, about how he got sick.

Watch Tomic’s awkward interaction in the video above

“Bernard and his girlfriend just continuing to argue,” the ATP Challengers commentator said.

“The long and short of it, Bernie saying, ‘You tested positive for Covid today’, girlfriend saying, ‘No, that was two weeks ago’.

“I did not anticipate having to commentate a couple’s quarrel here — but here we are.

“Either way, uncomfortable for all the fans here, who are just wanting to see a little bit of tennis tonight, but I don’t know that they’re going to get it.”

Tennis analyst Zachary Cohen wrote on X: “Tomic lost the first set 6-1. I haven’t seen him move for a single ball and he is missing literally everything. He had the doctors out and told them his girlfriend tested positive for Covid this morning.”

In grim scenes that wouldn’t have been out of place in Zendaya’s new tennis movie Challengers, Tomic eventually retired after just five points in the second set.

His girlfriend immediately got up from her seat and left the grandstand.

“All right, that does it. So, retiring due to illness is Bernard Tomic,” the ATP Challenger commentator said.

“Well, that’s a very awkward way to end, and a rather ‘Bernie’ way to end, isn’t it? Tough way to go out.

“Tomic now, we’ll see if he’s able to recover. And again, how the heck did he win that match a couple of days ago?”

The match lasted just 23 minutes and Shimizu moved through to the quarterfinals thanks to Tomic’s default.

“I mean, listen, we haven’t even talked about Shimizu at all — at all,” the commentator said.

Nick Kyrgios responded to the bizarre series of events with a simple face palm emoji on social media.

Tomic’s latest controversy comes as the French Open continues in Paris.

Australians Alex de Minaur and Thanasi Kokkinakis have progressed through to the third round of the grand slam.

Tomic has not played a grand slam since the 2021 Australian Open.

The former World No. 17’s best results are a Wimbledon quarterfinal in 2011 and three fourth round appearances at the Australian Open.