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Serena Williams had her legion of fans successful a tizzy aft she won the archetypal 2 rounds of what looks to beryllium her past U.S. Open. Following the tennis icon’s retirement tease, the stands astatine the Arthur Ashe Stadium successful Queens were packed successful hopes of witnessing a triumphant extremity to Serena’s vocation astatine the American Grand Slam tournament. Alas, the 40-year-old parent of 1 was knocked retired successful the 3rd circular 7-5, 6-7 (4/7), 6-1 by rival Ajla Tomljanović. Find retired much astir the Australian tennis prima who bested Serena, below!
Ajla Tomljanović bushed Serena Williams successful the US Open connected September 2, 2022. (CJ GUNTHER/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)Where is Ajla Tomljanović from?
29-year-old Ajla was calved successful Zagreb, Croatia and was granted Australian citizenship successful 2018. The crushed for the determination was to amended her career, arsenic reported by The Sydney Morning Herald. Respected tennis manager David Taylor and influential IMG cause Max Eisenbud hatched a program due to the fact that “elite coaches bash not travel cheaply, and the Croatian federation has thing similar the resources of an Australian strategy bankrolled by a palmy expansive slam.” Soon Ajla was connected squad Down Under.
What is Ajla’s vocation record?
Ajla Tomljanović shakes hands with Serena Williams astatine the US Open connected September 2, 2022. (Ella Ling/Shutterstock)The elite jock has a win-loss grounds of 363-273. This is the archetypal clip she has made it to the 4th circular of the U.S. Open. Ajla’s champion tally astatine a Grand Slam truthful acold was astatine Wimbledon the past 2 years, wherever she made it to the quarterfinals.
How astir her ranking and grounds against Serena?
Ranked No. 46 successful the world by the Women’s Tennis Association currently, Ajla had her highest-ever ranking backmost successful February astatine No. 38. Her lucifer against Serena connected Friday was her archetypal ever against the GOAT.
Ajla’s favourite creator is Rihanna
Ajla is conscionable similar us! The phenom puts “Umbrella” vocalist Rihanna connected the apical of her list, according to her biography connected the WTA website. She besides loves hep hop, Brad Pitt, the metropolis of Charlotte, NC, and watching basketball. However, don’t chew loudly astir her, arsenic its listed arsenic a favored peeve.
She learned a instrumentality from Novak Djokovic
Ajla Tomljanović is ranked No. 46 successful the world. (Dubreuil Corinne/ABACA/Shutterstock)Ajla got a adjuvant hint from 1 of the champion of the champion successful tennis, Novak Djokovic. “I retrieve Novak saying 1 clip erstwhile they asked him a batch astir this, erstwhile the assemblage was against him, helium conscionable pretends it’s for him,” she revealed to NBC Sports. “When they chant, I don’t know, Rafa (Nadal), Roger (Federer), whoever, helium hears Novak, Novak, I benignant of liked that response.”
She added that she besides utilized meditation arsenic an advantage. “When the assemblage gets involved, that’s what it tin get to you,” she explained to the outlet. “But I deliberation if I conscionable enactment wrong my small bubble, person my country that I spell to erstwhile I request assistance conscionable for support, artifact it retired arsenic overmuch arsenic I can, I deliberation each my meditation that I bash present and there, I’m going to effort to conscionable meditate each time tomorrow.”
