At world No.271, Ajla Tomljanovic is without doubt one of the lowest-ranked contenders on this 12 months’s Australian Open girls’s singles draw.

It’s an unfamiliar place for the 30-year-old, who final summer time was the host nation’s top-ranked participant. But Tomljanovic is unfazed.

“I really feel pleased with the place I’m at,” stated Tomljanovic, who used a protected rating of world No.33 to enter the event.

“I believe I’m all the time harmful in these phases of the event. I nonetheless really feel like folks don’t need to play me, particularly within the early rounds.”

After a knee harm derailed her 2023 season, Tomljanovic is worked up to check herself towards the world’s finest as soon as once more.

“It’s sort of like, in a means, a brand new chapter,” she acknowledged.

There are, understandably, some nerves too.

“I’d be mendacity if I’m sitting right here and being like, ‘That is one of the best I’ve ever felt’, as a result of that’s not additionally real looking,” Tomljanovic advised media forward of her ninth Australian Open main-draw marketing campaign.

Nonetheless, the three-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist appreciates the teachings gained from final 12 months’s bodily challenges.

“I believe, with out realising, it most likely did make me stronger simply emotionally, since you don’t rehab your self again in the event you’re not cussed about getting again,” she defined.

“I imply, there’s loads of examples when athletes don’t get again the place they imagine they’ll get to, or they’ve much less luck than me. That’s why I do really feel fortunate that my knee responded to all the pieces we’ve achieved for it.

“There’s a number of resilience that came about in 2023. It, for positive, will repay.”

There are already promising indicators that Tomljanovic can rapidly climb again up the rankings.

She gained her greatest profession title, at a WTA 125 occasion in Brazil, late final 12 months and helped Australia progress to the current United Cup semifinals.

With six wins from her previous 9 matches, this offers optimistic momentum forward of a first-round showdown with world No.40 Petra Martic at Melbourne Park.

The 32-year-old Croatian has gained two of their three earlier conferences, together with an Australian Open qualifying conflict in Tomljanovic’s event debut 13 years in the past.

Tomljanovic did, nevertheless, win their most up-to-date battle on the US Open in 2021.

“I really feel like I do know her sport fairly nicely and she or he is aware of mine,” Tomljanovic stated. “We sort of grew up collectively truly. She used to play with my sister, so we go means again.”

The heartbreak of withdrawing from final 12 months’s Australian Open is way from forgotten both, offering added motivation.

“I’ve had flashbacks from final 12 months. That was not enjoyable,” Tomljanovic admitted.

“(However) I’m actually excited, I really feel good and able to go.”

Tomljanovic begins her Australian Open 2024 marketing campaign this night.