Ajla Tomljanovic is playing her first Billie Jean King Cup tie at home since the 2019 final – a baptism of fire she credits for changing the course of her career.
Brisbane, QLD, Australia, 7 April 2025 | Matt Trollope
So much has changed for Ajla Tomljanovic as she prepares to represent Australia again almost six years after she first donned the green-and-gold.
That inaugural experience came in the 2019 final in Perth, an historic occasion marked by sell-out crowds of almost 15,000 fans each day at RAC Arena as Australia competed in its first final in the competition – then called Fed Cup – since 1993.
Tomljanovic lost 6-1 6-1 in her first singles match to France’s Kristina Mladenovic, but rebounded strongly 24 hours later to defeat Pauline Parmentier in straight sets, forcing the final to a live deciding doubles rubber.
The occasion shaped her, setting her up for many of the career highs that followed.
OFFICIAL PROGRAM: Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers (AUS-COL-KAZ)
TICKETS: Get tickets to the Billie Jean King Cup via Ticketmaster
“That was a crazy turning point in my whole career,” Tomljanovic said on Monday, a day after arriving in Brisbane for this week’s Billie Jean Cup Qualifiers round against Colombia and Kazakhstan.
“I don’t think I’ve faced a more nerve-wracking moment in my life since the one in Perth. So it really put everything in perspective, and I felt like anything that will come my way after that will be a piece of cake.
“And so far I’ve been right. Even though every week representing Australia is really stressful in a good way, it’s very different from every other week that we just represent ourselves.
“Sometimes it does overcrowd you, but I think with our team, you never really feel it all the way because we’re all honest with each other and you feel the support.”
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In the intervening years Tomljanovic went on to reach three Grand Slam quarterfinals – back-to-back at Wimbledon in 2021 and 2022, and the US Open in 2022 – and rise to a peak ranking of world No.32 in early 2023.
But just as it did in 2016, serious injury derailed her again in 2023, this time a knee injury keeping her out of the bulk of the year. Surgery to remove uterine fibroids kept her off tour for three more months in early 2024.
Ranked outside the top 200 when she returned in May last year, Tomljanovic has steadily reclaimed form and momentum and risen to world No.79, making her one of five Australian women inside the top 100.
The 31-year-old considers this stage of her career as “3.0” and is enjoying the challenge of trying to scale the heights she previously attained.
“I kind of like it, because I know that I’m capable tennis-wise, but there’s a lot more that goes into it, which is my body, my mind, and altogether I think tennis has changed a bit as well – it’s gone forward, so you’re kind of playing catch-up as well,” she explained.
“But lately I’ve been embracing it a lot more, and I’m excited to kind of keep going.”
TIE INFORMATION: Australia – Colombia – Kazakhstan
After a fruitful stint in the United States, where she reached the third round in Charleston last week and the semifinals in Austin a few tournaments before that, Tomljanovic returns to Australia seeking more consistency.
The key to that could be unlocked in Brisbane, where if selected for competitive duties she will walk into one of her favourite tennis venues.
“I’ve had a few wins on Pat Rafter Arena, so it’s one of my favourite cosy arenas,” she said.
“I feel really good. It’s been up and down [in 2025] but overall I feel like I’ve steadily been going up.
“Just to come here, I feel like this [Billie Jean King Cup] is always a week that gives me confidence, just because I’m around a team I’m really familiar with and we all push each other, and if we come out with a great result, it really kind of sets you up for an even better year.
“So I’m really having a good feeling.”
Australia faces Kazakhstan on 10 April and Colombia on 12 April at Pat Rafter Arena. Get your tickets via Ticketmaster and follow the action on 9Gem and 9Now.
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