"I was a little scared that I came off in a different way, then I read a lot of stuff where I was in a positive light; all I wanted to do in that match was respect Serena Williams' legacy" - Ajla Tomljanovic
Ajla Tomljanovic, the conqueror of 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams in her last ever tennis match, recently revealed that she was scared that people might hate her for standing in the American's way in her farewell tournament.
Thankfully, after reading all the responses on social media, the Australian is glad that fans recognized her actions for what they were -- respecting the former World No. 1's legacy by making her play her very best tennis on her last day as a professional.
Speaking at her press conference after her victory over Liudmila Samsonova in the fourth round of the 2022 US Open, the World No. 46 remarked that she went into the contest against Williams fully intending to win, despite knowing that it was not what the New York faithful wanted her to do.
"I was a little scared that I came off in a different way, then I read a lot of stuff where I was in a positive light, I was described as, which felt really nice," Ajla Tomljanovic said. "All I wanted to do in that match was just respect Serena [Williams'] legacy, but at the same time I wanted to win. For that to come off that way, I was happy about that."
Touching on the media attention she has gotten since the win, the 29-year-old admitted that while it was really nice to see people coming up to her and congratulating her, it was also draining at times.
The growth in Ajla Tomljanovic from the Fed Cup loss in Perth in 2019, through to facing Raducanu at Wimbledon, then Serena 2 days ago, and now today, is remarkable. Full credit to her and her development. #USOpen
Ajla Tomljanovic further added that the victory over Serena Williams helped her become more determined towards progressing deeper in the tournament, since she did not want to stop feeling the way she did on Friday.
"It's been a little tough just because a lot of people came up to me personally, you know, said what they said. That felt really nice. At the same time it did drain my energy a little bit," Ajla Tomljanovic said. "But I think my will to go further in this tournament was really strong and I didn't want to stop just after what happened on Friday night. I thought I deserved more. I definitely wanted to go for more. I dug deep because I felt like I had more left in me."
Regarding her match with Samsonova, the Australian declared that she still felt nervous, especially with the Russian coming in with two consecutive titles under her belt. However, she was thankful that she managed to outwit her opponent in the end, noting that she benefited from the change in atmosphere at a Grand Slam compared to regular tournaments.
"I felt like I felt less nerves, but different. I still felt nervous to play her, but at the same time I thought she was the hotter player. I mean, she's coming off of two titles, beating players really comfortably," Ajla Tomljanovic said. "But I think today I found a way to get past her. Also it's a different occasion playing someone in a slam and in a regular tournament. Maybe I handled it a little bit better today. Yeah, that's it."
"A lot of heartbreaks that have happened over a long time, what goes around comes around moment for me" - Ajla Tomljanovic
The last time Ajla Tomljanovic reached the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam was at the 2014 Australian Open. Since then, the World No. 46 has never reached the second week of a Major, which is why she considers her run at the 2022 US Open karmic justice for all the heartbreaks she has endured since then.
@LamiaBets Tomljanovic actually won today's match, ending Samsonova's 13 match winning streak, and backing up her win over Serena.
Btw, by your logic, Serena should apologize to Kontaveit for eliminating her and then losing in her next match.
It is also why the Australian remarked that she feels more calm in these big moments, adding that it was nice to see the work she has put in over the years finally paying dividends.
"I think a lot of heartbreaks that have happened over a long time, I feel like what goes around comes around moment for me. Especially the long matches that I've lost in the past, now I'm winning them," Ajla Tomljanovic said. "I think for that reason I'm more calm in those moments. Yeah, it just feels nice, like the work is paying off."