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Ajla Tomljanovic, whose name is etched in the history books as Serena Williams' last opponent who defeated her in the third round at the 2022 US Open, is eyeing her comeback after being out of action for an extended period.
The Croatian-born Australian recently won a title in Florianopolis after being sidelined for almost a year due to injury.
Addressing the media before her much-awaited comeback at the United Cup, Tomljanovic said she hopes to "turn around her bad juju from her Australian summers past few years."
Tomljanovic was unable to play in any tournament last year in Australia. She has never gone past the second round at the Australian Open. The Australian would be hoping for a better result at her home slam.
"It’s the best feeling, being back here. Memories from last year aren’t so fun, so to come back here and actually be able to experience centre court and hitting, it feels so good," said Tomljanovic.
Tomljanovic said she is worried about whether she would be able to play at a high level.
"I wondered if I’ll ever be able to come back and physically able to do what I expect myself and what’s just required to play at a high level," she said.
But Tomljanovic continues to believe in herself, as she has had major injuries before and has managed to come back from them.
"I thought about it [the 2022 results] this year quite a bit, just because I had so much time to think. And, why I did think about it was just to remind myself that I’ve done it before and just kind of feel that and believe that I can do it again," she said.
The Australian said her hunger to perform is more than ever.
"All I need to do is just get healthy. I think that just kept me going because I don’t want to just repeat it, I want to go a step further. So the hunger is probably more there than ever," she said.
The Australian understands that she has to improve on a lot of aspects, especially her movement.
"The fact that I am back to feeling pretty good, and there’s still a lot to improve on, especially my movement and things, but at the same time I feel like I can play a high level with what I’ve got, which gets me excited. Hopefully that perspective can maybe help me turn around my bad juju from my Aussie summers these past few years," she added.
Ajla Tomljanovic to be a part of the 2024 United Cup
Ajla Tomljanovic will start her 2024 season at the United Cup as a part of Team Australia. Apart from Tomljanovic, the other members of Team Australia are Alex de Minaur, John Millman, Matthew Ebden, Storm Hunter and Ellen Perez with Lleyton Hewitt as captain.
Australia are in Group C with the United States and Great Britain. The 2024 United Cup is scheduled from December 29, 2023 to January 7, 2024 in Perth and Sydney.
This year's competition will be headlined by WTA World No. 1 Iga Swiatek and ATP World No. 1 Novak Djokovic. Defending champions United States would be looking to repeat the last year's feat. They are expected to mount a strong challenge headlined by Taylor Fritz and Jessica Pegula.
