In her darkest times, Ajla Tomljanovic thought she might never again play at the Australian Open.
The 31-year-old feared the knee injury which kept her sidelined for most of the past two years may end her professional career.
But following a gritty three-set victory against American Ashlyn Krueger in round one on Monday, Tomljanovic is riding a wave of confidence – and satisfaction.
“I’m definitely getting to a stage where I try to cherish it a lot more than before,” Tomljanovic said.
“My knee has given me a lot of trouble, but I think I’ve tried to find so many solutions over the last two years, and I definitely feel like I’m on the other side or getting close to it. That just gives [me] a lot of satisfaction because I didn’t give up.
“And, it can still give me trouble sometimes, but I do feel like it’s on the up … I just kind of have to give myself props for not really throwing the towel in.”
Ajla Tomljanovic remains focused during her first round match.Credit: Eddie Jim
Tomljanovic’s latest knee injury was aggravated after she took a tumble in the Billie Jean King Cup quarter-finals in November.
“I just felt like I struggled so much last year, putting a lot of expectation on myself, and in an unfair way, my knee wasn’t co-operating,” Tomljanovic said.
“I had good weeks, bad weeks, and I couldn’t put it together, and I felt so exhausted at one point, and it just didn’t seem fair to myself. And I just thought, if I can go into, even starting December, I felt like I need to really make the best of everything because attitude really is powerful.”
Her approach to the circuit has changed, and her strategy is to be smarter in 2025.
“I pretty much made a mistake at the end of last year where it was a big goal of mine to come in here and not need a wild card,” Tomljanovic said.
“I got so close to it, and I chased a lot [of ranking points] in Asia, and it kind of backfired because my knee didn’t hold up, and I just realised I can’t be chasing.
“I have to listen to my body and not really play more than three events in a row, and just prioritise my off weeks where I have to keep my strength up because that’s just the stage of my career I’m in … I’m not going to chase points this year, at all, and I if I have to play a few more qualifying matches and events, that’s okay, I’ve done it before.”
Despite having made quarter-final appearances at Wimbledon and the US Open, Tomljanovic has never progressed past the second round of her home slam.
“At the end of the day, I want to make second weeks, not third rounds,” Tomljanovic said. “I know I haven’t had a great track record in the second round here, but it’s not for lack of trying or giving it my all.”
Tomljanovic was the second Australian woman to clinch a first-round victory on Monday, with wildcard Talia Gibson also coming out on top with a come-from-behind win over Turkey’s Zeynep Sonmez.
It’s the 20-year-old’s first victory in a grand slam main draw.
“As a kid, this is something you dream of, and you work very hard to get here,” Gibson said.
“I’m super grateful for the opportunity to have been able to play in the main draw, and to get that win, it’s just a very rewarding feeling.”
Elsewhere in the women’s draw, world No. 3 Coco Gauff had a comprehensive win over former champion Sofia Kenin, while Iga Swiatek also won her first-round match against Katerina Siniakova in straight sets.
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