Australian Open 2024: Ajla Tomljanovic v Jelena Ostapenko set to revive ugly feud

She was branded the ‘worst player on tour’ in an ugly clash three years ago, and now Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic gets a chance to exact revenge at her home slam.

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Ajla Tomljanovic says there is no bad blood between her and Jelena Ostapenko as the two prepare to reignite their fiery rivalry in the second round of the Australian Open.

“No, I really don’t think so,” Tomljanovic said when asked of their 2021 clash at Wimbledon.

“What happened happened. It’s been a while. I think we played each other after once more, and she beat me.

“Look, I have respect for her as a player. What happened, that was just in that moment. I just reacted. We never spoke about it.

“Yeah, we’re both going to be competitive. That’s for sure. I do think at least from my side I respect her as a tennis player, yeah. In that moment, I wasn’t happy.

“It’s fine. It will be a good match.”

Ajla Tomljanovic has set up a grudge match with an old foe. Picture: Getty

Ostapenko infamously labelled Tomljanovic the “worst player on tour” as part of a heated exchange following the Aussie’s 2021 third round victory at the All England Club.

On that day, Tomljanovic led Ostapenko 4-0 in the deciding third set when the Latvian star called for a medical time-out.

Tomljanovic felt her opponent was faking the injury to stop the Aussie’s momentum after she had won seven games on the bounce, but her protest to the umpire went unheard.

She would go on to win the final set 6-2 but when the two approached the net to shake hands, Ostapenko took aim.

“If you think I am faking, you can talk to the physio,” she said.

Tomljanovic replied: “I hope you feel better”, to which Ostapenko responded: “Your behaviour is terrible. You have zero respect.”

Jelena Ostapenko (R) and Tomljanovic clash at Wimbledon in 2021.

The Aussie later labelled Ostapenko’s behaviour “disgraceful”.

For her part, Ostapenko doubled down on her injury claim before declaring she would have comfortably beaten Tomljanovic if fully fit.

“If I played at least 50 per cent I would have beaten her,” she said.

Ostapenko, now No.10 in the world, will go into their second round match as a heavy favourite after defeating another Aussie, Kimberley Birrell, in straight sets on Tuesday.

The 26-year-old won the French Open in 2017 and was a quarter-finalist at Melbourne Park last year.

Ostapenko is considered a fiery character on the women’s tour. Picture: AFP

She returned to the top 10 for the first time in five years with her Adelaide International title earlier this month.

“She’s a great player,” Tomljanovic said.

“I’m definitely the underdog. I love that. But I feel like playing her in the second round, I’m probably going to hopefully play even better than I did today.”

Despite her strong grand slam pedigree, having reached three quarter-finals, the 30-year-old has never progressed beyond the second round at Melbourne Park.

She was most recently knocked out by No.2 seed Simona Halep in 2021.

“Every time I come back here I feel like it’s a new story,” Tomljanovic said.

“I can’t come in here and be like, ‘Yeah I’m making the second week for sure’. I’m definitely in a different position coming into this AO.

“I do think that special things can happen at Slams. Every time I had a good run, it was never thinking further than the first obstacle. That can’t change now.”

Australia's Ajla Tomljanovic waves as she leaves the court after defeating Croatia's Petra Martic. Picture: AFP

‘NO LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL’

Tuesday night’s emotional three-set victory over Croatian Petra Martic meant much more to Tomljanovic than a Grand Slam first round victory.

The 30-year-old’s fighting comeback from 4-1 down in the deciding set became the “light at the end of the tunnel” she feared might never come after an injury-riddled 2023 season.

Twelve months earlier Tomljanovic had been forced to withdraw from the Australian Open due to a left knee injury she suffered at the season-opening United Cup.

Ranked No.32 in the world and at the peak of her powers, the Aussie No.1 plummeted to outside the top 200 after almost 10 months out following surgery.

“I really feel like this was a big one for me,” Tomljanovic said after her win on Tuesday night.

“I feel like sometimes you guys and everyone, you don’t see me for a year and no one really knows how it was. I just mean that because it’s normal. You’re not with me every day.

Croatia's Petra Martic (R) hugs Tomljanovic after their match. Picture: AFP

“Tonight was just a huge kind of reward that feels amazing. You don’t know every time when you’re coming back from surgery if you’ll come back. It’s a gamble in a way going under the knife.

“It felt like there was no light at the end of the tunnel mostly because there’s just constant pain that’s not going away.

“I mean, you just never know. The knee never feels the same. You (have) got to almost find a new way to approach your career. I knew it would be way more challenging … being 30 years of age, your body is different, you don’t know how it’s going to react.

“There were some dark moments, yeah. It wasn’t nice. But I was always surrounded with my family which in the moment you don’t think it’s a big deal but looking back, it’s huge.”

In poignant circumstances her opponent on Tuesday night, Martic, is one of Tomljanovic’s closest friends on tour.

Petra Martic considers Tomljanovic one of her close friends on tour. Picture: Getty

Tomljanovic was born in Zagreb, Croatia, less than 300km from where Martic grew up in Split.

The Aussie explained she and Martic, two years her senior, “kind of grew up together” with Tomljanovic trailing her older sister at junior tennis tournaments across Croatia.

“It’s kind of the type of player that I don’t like playing her, just because I like to see her win,” Tomljanovic explained.

“I don’t know. I wouldn’t say I’m sad. Obviously I’m happy I won, but I kind of wish it wasn’t her in a way.

“I actually spoke to her before the draw came out. She was asking me how everything was going.

“It’s kind of surreal because I came off of Sydney (United Cup) and felt like I had a few regrets (in) that match with (Angelique) Kerber.

“I promised myself if I got another chance in AO with a close match, I really wanted to just come out not feeling that regret, which is the worst thing you can carry.

“Getting the win … I know when rehabbing, I wrote down in my journal that I can’t wait for that moment.

“Hopefully you get lucky enough to rehab well and be pain-free. If you really want it, you’re going to get it at some point. Maybe not tonight. But it was my night tonight, so I’ll take it.”