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BRISBANE INTERNATIONAL

January 1, 2019

Ajla Tomljanovic

Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

A. TOMLJANOVIC/K. Siniakova

1-6, 6-3, 6-0

Q. Congratulations on your win. How does it feel to move forward to the second round?
AJLA TOMLJANOVIC: Yeah. I mean it's always nice to win, especially on the new year. But I felt kind of scrappy all around. I feel like first matches always are, but I kind of feel extra kind of off today. But, you know, I looked at the clock. I think I was a break down at 40-15 and it was like 26 minutes, and I was like, oh, my God. It can't get worse than this. So I just tried to even if I lose, just to kind of start playing better and just put a better performance in. And then slowly it started going my way, and I just kind of kept at it.

Q. Was that the biggest thing you can take away? It was a slow start, but you turned it around so well and you were really in control by the third set.
AJLA TOMLJANOVIC: Yeah. I mean I didn't expect the third to be so kind of quick and easy, but I mean, it wasn't just by the score line. But, yeah, I didn't really expect much after the first. I just kind of tried to take it point by point and just keep the rally going, because in the first set it felt like it went so quick I didn't even get my racquet on the ball.

Q. What do you put the success in the third set to, because you had such a great final?
AJLA TOMLJANOVIC: I don't know, now looking back. I just kind of went into that third set trying to just build points and execute when I can, and I think she also gave me a couple of errors there that maybe usually she wouldn't. But, yeah, I was just kind of happy to be on the winning end after everything.

Q. But you didn't go in with new tactics or different game plan?
AJLA TOMLJANOVIC: No. I just kind of tried to do what I did well in the second set, which is build points on my terms and execute when I can. And obviously the serve is something that I tried to do better at. The first set was -- I don't know, my percentage must have been like 30. I don't even want to know. Don't tell me.

Q. What did you feel like was the problem in the first set? Have you been able to kind of identify it?
AJLA TOMLJANOVIC: Yeah, I think I just rushed every point. I tried to hit winners when I shouldn't even think about winners. Then I didn't even let her kind of do anything. I just kind of did it all good and bad. So I didn't really even give myself a chance, I feel like. And when my coach came -- I know you guys can't understand, but that's what he said, just to kind of start the point and see where it goes.

Q. You've got Jo in the second round. You played her last year. What would you do differently or something you wish you had done the last time you saw her? It was three sets.
AJLA TOMLJANOVIC: Yeah, it was like four in the third; right? I feel like that was a good match last year. So I don't know what that match -- I don't remember. I'm so bad at that. But going in I just want to play on my terms from the start, have a better start than today, and just kind of execute what I've been trying to do in practice all off season. I feel like I kind of have a good base, and it's just kind of fine tuning and finding my game when I'm actually in the match.

Q. So what have you been working on over the year? What can we see? What are the things that you've been trying to execute that we can see different this time around?
AJLA TOMLJANOVIC: I mean I didn't change anything drastically with my game style. I think it's pretty simple. I'm a tall, big girl. So I'm always going to try to be aggressive. But what I kind of felt over the last year, where I lost to better-ranked players was when I would get in a good position, I would kind of lose these points that were on my racquet. And against the top players they don't give those points away, and I kind of had a lot of loose errors there, because over the year I felt like my level was good at one point, and it was just like little things that didn't go my way, and it was kind of on my hands. So, yeah, I just kind of tried to change that.

Q. So how would you change that? Is that mental toughness or?
AJLA TOMLJANOVIC: No. I mean, we did a lot of boring stuff in the off season, a lot of shorter balls that I would put away, and you know, try to finish points off better. But at the end of the day, practice is so much different than actual matches. So it's going to take me going out there and doing it and executing it. You know, that builds confidence, and then it kind of -- it's kind of like riding a bike after that.

Q. And winning by love in that third set, does that show you that you're right up there with fitness?
AJLA TOMLJANOVIC: It was like an hour-and-a-half.

Q. No. But the fact that sort of that third set often comes down to fitness and it's a hot day.
AJLA TOMLJANOVIC: It was? It felt -- I think I was just so into my, yeah, like game that I didn't even think about it, but I think I am fitter than I was last year coming into this tournament, for sure. I gave myself a lot of time in the off season, I think. Like I started early just with my fitness, not so much tennis. And that was important for me being away from the game. I don't think I had a proper off season for a while. So, yeah, this year I think I have a much better base than last year.

Q. Was it easier to get back into the gym quickly for the off season knowing just kind of how well generally last year was for you in terms of the rankings rising, getting your game? I have to think that there's more positivity and confidence maybe going into this year, more hunger?
AJLA TOMLJANOVIC: It kind of gives you a better feeling, motivation just having that good year behind you. Like if it compared to the year before, I was still playing until like December. So just kind of knowing that I'm back in the flow of having an off season and training and having time at home, it just felt like a nice reward, even though I killed myself in the off season.

Q. That's a good thing. I mean being physically fit enough to kill yourself, that's a good thing.
AJLA TOMLJANOVIC: Yeah.

Q. What were you the most proud of about last season?
AJLA TOMLJANOVIC: I think just kind of getting a career high after everything. I don't think -- I didn't set any goals at the beginning of last year -- yeah, like this year. I mean last year. And that was just because I didn't want to put pressure on myself after everything.

Like it's different, you know, when you go through things, you don't really expect -- you don't want to put that kind of pressure that I used to have. I just want to kind of be proud of where I've gotten, and then actually when I got the career high, I didn't even know because I even forgot what it was.

So that was kind of special just because you only know what you went through, not people that just watch you. Like someone came to me at the off season and they were like, oh, what's going on with you? I just see your ranking go up and down a lot. I'm like, yeah, it's just like that with me. So people don't know, so it's kind of for your own satisfaction.

Q. Can you go into this season with that same no-goals, no-pressure mentality or now that you've hit that career high, does it add more expectation?
AJLA TOMLJANOVIC: I mean, naturally I kind of have more expectation. But my dad is here, kind of the best at that. He sees me like -- he knows me well, so he'll see me like be nervous and kind of cranky in practice, and kind of he'll just remind me of where I've been and what I've overcome and that it's just really supposed to be kind of fun, even though it's a job.

So, yeah, I try to keep that mindset, because I think -- like not every player can lean on that, you know, and have that experience. So I think I should use it in my favor definitely.

Q. And when you said you almost killed yourself in the off season, did you do anything sort of special, like running up sand dunes or anything like that?
AJLA TOMLJANOVIC: No. I mean I do a lot of just beach workouts.

Q. Oh, wow.
AJLA TOMLJANOVIC: Yeah. I mean I live in Florida.

Q. Oh, okay.
AJLA TOMLJANOVIC: So it's right there. So then it kind of ruins the beach for me. I never go there to like relax because I just think about that. Yeah, but I have my dog every day in practice. So my practices are pretty fun these days.

Q. And do you do much work out here in Brisbane on the Gold Coast when you're here?
AJLA TOMLJANOVIC: Yeah, I always come like two weeks earlier, and I like training here. I know the city pretty well by now. And I go to the Gold Coast for Christmas Day. I have family there. So, yeah, it kind of feels like home away from home.

Q. So when you and your dad and everybody sat down and looked towards 2019, are there goals? Like what does a good 2019 look like for Ajla?
AJLA TOMLJANOVIC: I think ranking wise, we don't talk about it, but I think we all can of agree that they believe in me that I can crack new kind of Top 30, maybe Top 20. And I think the game is so open the last few years, and if you just kind of believe, and they kind of see me in practice and what I'm capable of doing, so they have a lot of belief in me that way. So they just kind of want me to stay healthy. And the slams this year is kind of where I didn't do so well last year, so I think that's an opportunity for me to build my ranking up, and got zeroes there. So hopefully.

Q. Just going up.
AJLA TOMLJANOVIC: Yeah.

Q. And how inspiring is it to see so many Australian women doing so well? This is one of the best years we've seen in ages.
AJLA TOMLJANOVIC: Yeah, I think Ash is kind of the most inspiring there. Her story is pretty incredible. I don't think I could ever go in a different sport and kill that, too. It's like just craziness.

But even the young ones, like yesterday, Kim had a good win and Destanee. So it's really nice to see that everyone is kind of doing well, and I think it makes you kind of believe that everyone can do well.

Q. What do you think it says about tennis, not necessarily women's tennis, but just the sport in general, that it seems like every year we do have these stories of an Ash who walks away and comes back and cracks it. Kim even yesterday enduring her elbow surgery and all that sort of stuff and coming back, you dropping and coming back. What does that say about the sport?
AJLA TOMLJANOVIC: I think the sport is always there for you, no matter what happens to you. If you have sort of that good mindset and determination, like it will always be there to come back. Even people that kind of quit for different reasons, not even surgery. I think it's good that way because it always gives you an opportunity to come back to it. It doesn't tell you you can't come back. So it just proves to you if you have kind of the heart to do it, you can, because, I don't know. Even in different sports there are so many stories that are inspiring. So, yeah, like in the back of my mind I think that always helped me even when I was kind of just in bed and doing nothing.

Q. I was going to say, so then for you what was the low moment?
AJLA TOMLJANOVIC: The low was probably like three months after surgery when I -- there was so much to go, because the first couple of months after surgery you're kind of enjoying life. You're doing things you haven't ever done. You don't have a schedule. Your rehab didn't really start yet. And then it kind of sinks in that you have to put in the hours for rehab, so your day isn't really as open as it was, but you're not doing what you love; you're just doing rehab. So it kind of sinks in that there's a lot to go, and no one really cares anymore. No one is really messaging you, not that that helps, but it's nice to be in the loop. And then it kind of sinks in that you're kind of in it for the long haul and you have to dig deep. But at the end of the day the sun rises the next day and if you kind of just have a good mindset, it's okay.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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