Australian tennis player Ajla Tomljanovic, 29, isn’t planning on retiring anytime soon as she has indicated she plans to play for many more years. Tomljanovic, who turned pro in 2009, is enjoying probably the best days of her career so it should not come as a surprise that she is targeting to play for at least a couple of more years.
In February, Tomljanovic achieved a career-high ranking of No. 38 in the world and this year she reached back-to-back Wimbledon quarterfinals. In 2016, Tomljanovic sustained a shoulder injury at the start of the season and missed the rest of the season after undergoing a surgery in February.
In an interview with Tennis Majors, Tomljanovic was asked for how long she sees herself as a pro. “I do not like to even think about it. What I can say is that I feel really young. I had several injuries and I skipped a few years basically, so my body is in great shape.
You never know where life will take you, but if you ask me right now, I see myself playing for a really long time,” Tomljanovic told Tennis Majors.
Tomljanovic on her success on grass
Last year, Tomljanovic reached her maiden Grand Slam quarterfinal at Wimbledon before losing to eventual champion Ashleigh Barty.
This year, Tomljanovic proved her 2021 Wimbledon run wasn’t a fluke as she again made the last-8 at The Championships. Unfortunately, Tomljanovic again fell just short of reaching her maiden Grand Slam semifinal as she suffered a three-set loss to Elena Rybakina in the quarterfinal.
“I do not know to be honest. Up until one year ago, I was not particularly fond of grass. Everybody used to tell me: ‘Oh, but you can be great on grass’, but I was not able to find the right balance, it just did not feel right.
And then it clicked last year, so this year I had much more confidence going into the tournament. I told myself: ‘Why not do it again?’ That just goes to show how far you can go when you believe in yourself,” Tomljanovic explained.