Ajla Tomljanovic says she feels she’s a better player than her 118 ranking

AUSTRALIAN-in-waiting Ajla Tomljanovic has revealed she is terrified of injury after a long battle with shoulder problems.

Ajla Tomljanovic during her loss to Johanna Konta in the Brisbane International.

AUSTRALIAN-in-waiting Ajla Tomljanovic has revealed she is terrified of injury after a long battle with shoulder problems.

The Croatian-born 24-year-old put up a brave fight in a three-set loss to fifth seed Johanna Konta at the Brisbane International on Tuesday night despite suffering a leg injury during the match.

Tomljanovic admitted that every time she feels an ache or a twinge she fears it could be a serious injury.

“It’s tough now with my history,” Tomljanovic said.

“I feel one thing and maybe in my head it’s bigger than it really is.

“But I’m okay with that. My biggest fear is taking time off and injuries.

“Even in practice when I feel something, I stop soon and I try to be as realistic as I can, but I think it’s better to be more cautious than reckless.”

Tomljanovic reached a career high of No. 47 in the world in early 2015 but shoulder surgery a year later meant that by the start of 2017 her ranking had dropped into the 900s.

Ajla Tomljanovic during her loss to Johanna Konta in the Brisbane International.

She has since worked her way back up to No. 118 and this week said she felt like a better player than her most recent numbers suggested.

“I don’t really want to put numbers on it, but I feel like when I’m playing my best I can do good things, so I can definitely say I don’t feel like a 118 player,” she said.

With boyfriend and sometime hitting partner Nick Kyrgios watching from the stands, Tomljanovic pushed Konta in the first set and hung on doggedly through the third, sporting a bandaged thigh after feeling a strain in her leg during the second set.

Yesterday, she still had her right leg heavily strapped as she took to the court with Queenslander Priscilla Hon for a doubles match against leading Australian duo Ashleigh Barty and Casey Dellacqua.

Tomljanovic, who pledged her allegiance to Australia in mid-2014, passed her citizenship test with flying colours last month.

Boyfriend Nick Kyrgios can barely watch as Ajla Tomljanovic loses to Johanna Konta at the Brisbane International.

She plans to make her move official with a citizenship ceremony in Brisbane and hopes to be playing for her adopted country after the Australian summer.

Konta will face Elina Svitolina in the quarter-finals after the Ukranian No. 3 seed made light work of her clash with Ana Konjuh on Wednesday.

Svitolina, who took little more than an hour to defeat her Croatian opponent 6-3, 6-1, has beaten Konta in their two previous meetings, most recently in Zhuhai, China, in 2016.

“It was good match and she’s playing well,” Svitolina said.

“I think we are both playing different now and we are much better players. So I expect, of course, a tough match.”

Qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovic of Belarus upset Estonia’s Anett Kontaveit 1-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-3. She will next play last year’s runner-up, Alize Cornet of France.

Another qualifier, Kaia Kanepi, the 2012 champion from Estonia, defeated Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko, who was ranked 57 places higher at No. 42, 6-4, 6-3.

Originally published as Ajla Tomljanovic says she feels she’s a better player than her 118 ranking