BILLIE JEAN KING CUP

November 7, 2023

Ajla Tomljanovic

Team Australia

Press Conference

K. JUVAN/A. Tomljanovic

6-4, 6-1

Team Australia - 0

Team Slovenia - 1

AJLA TOMLJANOVIC

THE MODERATOR: Questions from the floor.

Q. I noticed that in the first set you had 96% of your first serves in. Were you aware of that? Did you decide to change things? Because there were some decisive moments as well in the first set with that one break opportunity or the one break you got, and you had four breakpoints, as well. Was that a big moment, as well? Were those two factors important for you?

AJLA TOMLJANOVIC: I didn't know that stat, but definitely felt like I served better in the first. But I think it was an awkward match for me. I thought I had so many opportunities.

You know, I lost that first set and almost felt like I should have won it. That didn't help. I don't think I channeled it in a right way. Feeling like I've missed too many of the opportunities made me feel like she had a little bit of a mental edge. That's not helping when you are in the second set and you've got to be quick to turn it around.

I felt like, yeah, I didn't bounce back that well. That's unfortunate, because it was close up until, you know, the last few games. The score went away a little bit from me. Yeah, it was just a tough one.

Q. What you're describing there of having chances but maybe not quite able to take them, is that, do you think, kind of a consequence of just not having been able to play so many matches this year? Is that the sort of thing that comes back when you're in a rhythm and just able to play more?

AJLA TOMLJANOVIC: Yeah, I mean, now if I were to sit down and talk to Mol and Pratty, we'd probably get to a conclusion. But when you're out there, you don't think about that. So it was quite disappointing, because there is this standard of play that I'm expecting no matter how long I have been out.

And that's good and bad, because sometimes I've got to be a little bit easier with myself. But at the same time, I like that I'm expecting a lot even in a time where, you know, I probably haven't played enough.

Yeah, if I'm really thinking about it, that's the reason most likely that I'm just executing the big points well, but at the same time, I feel like I could have done better, given, you know, my preparation and stuff.

Yeah, it's just, "Welcome back to tennis" (smiling).

Q. Can you take any positives from that? Like you say, that first set was really tight and you had opportunities, just about converting. What are you going to take from it into your next match?

AJLA TOMLJANOVIC: Yeah, look, the biggest takeaway is that my knee is good. I have had some big rallies, some hustles, and probably the most I have been not thinking about my knee compared to my previous matches, the few that I have played. That's a great sign.

I mean, you know, I've got to remind myself that that's the biggest thing right now in order to get back to where I want to be.

And then any match, any competitive match, even though it didn't go my way today, you can find a lot of negatives, but there are positives. Like, I'm back, like, I'm back playing, and this is so much more valuable than a training week.

Q. Slovenian team said that they were quite surprised that you were in the team. And when did you decide, I mean, your team, that you will play?

AJLA TOMLJANOVIC: Why were they surprised?

Q. Because they expecting the other players. I don't know.

AJLA TOMLJANOVIC: Oh, I mean, okay. I don't know what -- there's nothing I can say to that. There's five players on the team. Everyone knows Australia has depth. Any person, any player that would have been picked today would have been a great choice. We have that going for ourselves.

What was the second question?

Q. When did you decide, I mean, in your team that you will be part of...

AJLA TOMLJANOVIC: Oh, I don't think that's relevant to tell you, because -- yeah.

Q. Given the good news at least regarding your knee and you felt better today than you felt for a long time, what is the schedule and the plan between now and Melbourne, Australia?

AJLA TOMLJANOVIC: Yeah, I'd love to get a few more tournaments in before this year finishes. There is a couple 125s in South America that I would love to play, but logistically it's not perfect. It's on clay. It's quite far away.

I don't even know if I would have the opportunity to play in it, because I don't want to use my special ranking for these ones. It's just good for -- I think the benefit I'd have from playing competitively in this environment would be huge, but then I've got to make the choice, you know, do I go and give myself a few more weeks of preparation on hard court?

It's kind of a tough decision, but I think whatever I decide it will be a good one. There is no bad ones, really. Yeah, I'm excited to start 2024 in Perth with United Cup.