Lleyton Hewitt has implored Bernard Tomic "to put the work in" or face the prospect of wilting during the brutal Australian summer of tennis.

Tomic has spiralled to 144th in the rankings after a disastrous 2017 campaign and will likely need to qualify for the Australian Open unless Hewitt and Tennis Australia offer the struggling star a wildcard.

Bernard Tomic has slumped in the world rankings. Credit:AP

TA is making no promises after the one-time world No.17 opted out of last year's Olympic Games and also decided not to represent Australia in Davis Cup this year.

Hewitt is hoping the 24-year-old can somehow salvage something from the last month of the season following last week's second-round loss in Tokyo.