Tomic's 15-year Australian Open run ends

Languishing at No.462 in the rankings, but still very much active on court, the one-time world No.17 has been a fixture at the Melbourne Park grand slam every January since 2008.

But he won't be around when qualifying starts on Monday after Tennis Australia opted for youth and promise over 30-year-old Tomic's experience and credentials when issuing seven wildcards to fellow Australians.

Despite his spectacular fall from grace, Tomic is still ranked higher than four of the wildcard recipients, including 18-year-old world No.1017 Derek Pham.

But the former prodigy and two-time grand slam junior champion is seven years senior to oldest wildcard recipient Adam Walton, the world No.432.

Four of the seven wildcard entrants are exciting teenage talents.

While it's understood Tomic did not seek a wildcard, the 2011 Wimbledon quarter-finalist could still have been offered one.

But that was most unlikely after Tomic fell out with TA and launched a blistering attack on Davis Cup captain and former close ally Lleyton Hewitt, one of the key wildcard judges.

"No one likes him any more," Tomic said after a first-round Open exit in 2019.

"We have a lot of issues that not a lot of players are happy about. We all know who those players are. Myself, (Thanasi) Kokkinakis, (Nick) Kyrgios."

Kyrgios accused Tomic of throwing him under a bus with his explosive outburst but has since endured his own strained relationship with Hewitt and skipped Davis Cup for the past three years.

If Tomic fails to lift his ranking and never plays another Australian Open, it will be a sad end to a somewhat storied career at his home slam.

He was the youngest player to win the junior Australian Open, at 15 years and three months in 2007.

The following year, Tomic saved match points against Italian Potito Starace to become the youngest male in history to win a main-draw match at the Open.

Australia's Davis Cup spearhead for several years while carving out an impressive 19-4 record in the team competition, Tomic also enjoyed a string of fine results at Melbourne Park.

He reached the last 16 three times and made the third round on three other occasions, having promising runs ended twice each by legends Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Tomic hasn't been so successful in recent years, only making the main draw twice since 2015.

In 2021, he was the only successful qualifier out of 20 Australian hopefuls before making the second round.

Tomic also deserves credit for continuing to soldier away at low-level events in North, Central and South America.

He played 38 matches in 2022, including 24 in the last four months of the season, winning titles in Santo Domingo and Cancun and losing a final in Harlington, Texas.

But he only pocketed a measly $US35,732 ($A51,900) for his toils, including just $US2160 ($A3140) for his latest tournament success in November, a far cry from the days when he told a TV journalist he was "counting my millions' after a third-round Australian Open qualifying defeat in 2018.

Had he been awarded a wildcard into Open qualifying this year, Tomic would have been guaranteed a $26,000 pay day.

If he'd made the main draw for a 12th time, he would have banked at least $106,250.

Australian Associated Press