You could be forgiven for thinking that tennis’ biggest stars have an inside scoop when it comes to who their opponents will be at a Grand Slam tournament.
But when the Australian Open draw was abandoned earlier this week, Ajla Tomljanović searched for her first-round match the same way most of us would: she Googled it.
In doing so, Tomljanović found herself facing American Ashlyn Krueger for the second time in a week.
“Krueger came in and I was like, ‘Well, clearly the draw hasn’t come out because it’s from Adelaide,'” she told ABC Sport with a laugh.
“Then I found the article and I was like, ‘OK, now I have to check with someone because it’s trippy if it’s true.’
“It was actually pretty funny yesterday. I didn’t think it was real until someone confirmed it to me.”
Tomljanović revealed that not watching the draw was a ploy she used in the latter stages of her career, when she was hoping to finally make a deep run at Melbourne Park.
A quarter-finalist at the US Open and Wimbledon, Tomljanović has never progressed past the second round of the Australian Open in 10 attempts. His winning percentage of 36 percent at Melbourne Park is the worst of the four majors.
The 31-year-old’s talent has never been in question: she was the one who sent Serena Williams packing for good at Flushing Meadows just over two years ago. However, a combination of injuries and confidence issues during his early years halted Tomljanović’s progress.
Not watching the draw is a major change from Tomljanović’s preparation for the tournament earlier in her career, when she carefully studied who would play who. She stopped doing that after it undid her.
“Even knowing the first round is nerve-wracking because out of 127 players, there are a lot of potential matchups you can get. It’s a real question mark when the draw is made,” she said.
“Earlier in my career, I loved it when the toss came out. I would just study the whole thing.
Tomljanović was a quarter-finalist at the US Open, but has yet to replicate that success at his home Grand Slam. (Getty Images: Jamie Squire)
“Then I got burned a few times four or five years ago when I was already stressed about the next round because I didn’t like the way the opponent was serving and I ended up losing the match I was in and I was like, ‘Look, if I can’t get my brain to work properly, I’m just going to take a draw out of it,’ and that’s just my choice now.”
Not watching the draw is part of what Tomljanović calls a new approach at this stage of his career.
Performing in front of your audience is not as easy as you might think. Even Ash Barty struggled under the weight of expectations at Melbourne Park before finally breaking through in 2022 for the last of his three Grand Slam titles.
Yes, the support the Australians enjoy at home is great, but the weight of expectation can often prove too much of a burden for many players.
“I’m not going to lie, sometimes I feel like this is where I want to do my best, whereas in the past I haven’t,” Tomljanović said when asked about the pressure of wanting a deep run in Melbourne.
“I try to use it to my advantage, maybe that’s how the stars aligned in my career. I always try to take advantage of every opportunity I get to play and take the expectations out of it.
“That’s what I did almost every week. I didn’t think about anything after the first round.”
With Barty retiring early, Tomljanović is now one of Australia’s oldest stateswomen on the women’s tour.
There are no Australian seeds in this year’s women’s singles draw. Tomljanović is one of several wild cards, while promising youngsters like 16-year-old Emerson Jones are unseeded.
Although another Australian women’s Grand Slam title does not appear imminent following Barty’s abrupt retirement in 2022, Tomljanović is optimistic about what lies ahead.
“We are in an exciting phase because we have a few players who have been around the block, like me, and we are still capable of doing damage,” she said.
Tomljanović says that even though she is 16 years older, she continues to learn from young people like Emerson Jones. (Getty Images: Robert Prange)
“And then there’s this younger generation like Emerson and Liv (Gadecki) who have such a bright future.
“There’s this in-between (generation) like Kim Birrell, who are settling into their prime and it’s taken a while. I think it’s a matter of belief because I’ve had a similar journey. Seeing Kim have such a big week in Brisbane and then come back and get back into qualifying, I can tell you first hand it’s not an easy thing to do.
“There is a lot of healthy competition in women’s tennis right now.”
Jones is among a number of youngsters Tomljanović wants Australia to keep an eye on, a group that includes 18-year-old Maya Joint, 22-year-old Olivia Gadecki and 19-year-old Taylah Preston.
Despite being 15 years Jones’ senior, Tomljanović said she was able to learn from Australia’s newest tennis prodigy.
“Someone like Emerson, I learn from her,” she said.
“That’s the most important thing I’ve learned as I’ve gotten older in this sport: you can learn from anyone, at any age.
Tomljanović says most young people in his camps want to know how to deal effectively with losses and disappointments. (Provided: WTA Foundation Come Play presented by Morgan Stanley)
“If she’s ever watched me play and learned something from me, that’s great, but watching her so well in Adelaide and how she carried herself, I thought I could learn from her too. It’s just about constantly being open to learning new things.”
Although winning a Grand Slam remains his greatest ambition, Tomljanović cannot escape the importance of being someone the next generation should look up to.
“It’s probably the biggest compliment I can get if someone tells me they admire me,” she said.
“I definitely don’t think I’m that for every kid, and when someone tells me that, I’m so honored. I’m just happy to see the kids getting involved.”
In preparation for the Australian Open, Tomljanović worked with Tennis Australia on its #NoLimits Girls Squad and Learn2Lead youth programs.
It’s a program that, according to Tomljanović, “isn’t just about hitting a tennis ball.”
“Just talking with them about what we do and life is very beneficial, especially at this age,” she said.
“I wish I had this when I was little. It would have been a little more eye-opening so I didn’t have to listen to my parents all the time.
Tomljanović enjoys being a role model for the next generation of young girls who aspire to become professionals. (Provided: WTA Foundation Come Play presented by Morgan Stanley)
“It makes them feel like anything is possible. They could be in our shoes one day.”
According to Tomljanović, many young aspiring players ask themselves the same burning question: how to deal with defeats and disappointments.
“I mostly get asked about losses, which I find interesting because it makes me think that even at a younger age they deal with that. I tend to forget a little bit about how I was like that, even when I was 10,” she said.
“I like to answer this because I think when I was younger I was very introverted and I was afraid to tell anyone that I was nervous. I like to talk about it and normalize those feelings.
“It just means you care and if you can trick your mind into thinking it’s a good thing, it can really help you.
“My favorite thing is also to tell them that I feel exactly the same way. If you see me playing in the stadium, I have a straight face, but know that I feel all the feelings.
“If I can help a child feel normal about this whole process and make it easier for them, that makes me the happiest.“
Tomljanović credits her parents for helping her deal more effectively with disappointments, whether losses or injuries.
“You don’t have to be another professional gamer or athlete to help me realize that things are going to work out at some point,” she said.
“My father always taught me that life is a lot like sports in general, in the sense that you always have to get back up even after a difficult day and the next day the sun comes up again and you have to try and keep going because at some point things will get better.
“I’m just learning to never give up and put your all into everything you do.”
Tomljanović will begin his Australian Open campaign with a first-round match against American Ashlyn Krueger on Monday in what will be only the second career meeting for both men.
