As she returns to her most successful Grand Slam setting, two-time Wimbledon quarterfinalist Ajla Tomljanovic is embracing every moment on court.
London, Great Britain, 2 July 2024 | Vivienne Christie
For all the happy memories that could come flooding back for Ajla Tomljanovic at Wimbledon, the No.4 Australian woman is living firmly in the now.
“It’s special, for sure,” Tomljanovic noted when asked how it feels to return to her most successful Grand Slam setting.
“I don’t know, maybe I’ll appreciate it a bit more than when I’ve stopped playing. When I come here, I love it and kind of pinch myself the first moment, but then I get into this mode of getting ready.”
Given the challenges of her recent seasons, it’s understandable that Tomljanovic is keen to look ahead.
The 31-year-old enjoyed her best major run as a quarterfinalist at The Championships in 2021 and replicated that result the following year.
It built a stunning run of momentum in which Tomljanovic constructed a US Open 2022 quarterfinal campaign that included victory over the retiring Serena Williams.
But at the same time last year, a despondent Tomljanovic watched Wimbledon unfold from Los Angeles, having briefly travelled to Europe before determining that as she continued her recovery from a knee injury, competing at the tournament was out of reach.
“It was probably the toughest part of my year last year because this was the one that felt like, for sure I’m going to make it,” she recalled.
“Watching it on the telly wasn’t fun. And that’s when all these questions started up in my mind like, ‘what’s going to happen now?’
“It should have been a really joyful time for me, competing here, and that was probably the lowest point because everyone’s recalling how well you did the year before.”
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Still, as Tomljanovic also noted, “tennis keeps you going”.
After returning at last year’s US Open, Tomljanovic claimed the WTA 125 Florianopolis title in November. She contested Australian summer tournaments at the start of the 2024 season, before surgery for uterine fibroids in February meant she missed the next three months.
Having played two clay-court tournaments – the WTA 125 event in Parma, followed by Roland Garros – Tomljanovic can feel some of her old form returning on grass.
She reached the Surbiton quarterfinals as a qualifier and with four wins…
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