“Didn’t want to be reminded of her achievements,” Ajla Tomljanovic opens up on Serena Williams’s intimidation factor
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Serena Williams and Ajla Tomljanovic
Serena Williams had an emotional send-off in the final Grand Slam event of her glorious career as she lost to the Australian Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round clash in a three-set game that went on for almost three hours of play. The six-time US Open champion had started off on a good note at the 2022 US Open defeating top-seed player Anett Kontaveit in the second round but soon had to bid her final adieu shattering all her dreams of winning another title. She was playing a good level of tennis but it seemed the Australian got the better of her.
The former world number one and the 23-time singles Grand Slam champion had managed to win one of the four matches in the build-up to the US Open since her return to the grass court season. Her lack of match practice time and inconsistent performances were a major concern for her going into the competition going into tournament but she overcame all odds to enthrall her fans with some good level of tennis before her final match.
Ajla Tomljanovic refused to watch the montage of Serena Williams as it could have intimated her before the match started
Ajla Tomljanovic shattered the dreams of Serena Williams’ wanting to end her career on a winning note. There was huge crowd support for the 23-time singles champion with many celebrities in attendance to see her play for the final time. As a tribute to the American champion, the US Open decided to honor her with a beautiful montage of her journey of almost three decades as she walked upon the court for the third-round match. The video montage shared special moments of Serena all through the years especially the years when she won the title and played some fearless level of tennis.
As per the rules of the tournament, Tomljanovic was supposed to walk behind Serena as per their individual rankings but for her farewell match, it was the opposite where the Aussie walked on the court while a beautiful montage was about to be played. The Australian felt that this was a sweet gesture but it could have been an intimidating factor for her to see the accomplishments of the former World number one who is not unknown to anyone. She during an interview, said “I already know who she is. I don’t want to get reminded of everything she’s done in the sport.“
Tomljanovic will be up against the Russian Ludmilla Samsonova who is the champion at the 2022 Citi Open in the Round of 16 at the US Open.
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Prateek Pradhan
(601 Articles Published)