"Deserves to be higher-ranked than she is" - Barty on Tomljanovic missing Wimbledon points

| by Kadir Macar

After Ashleigh Barty retired, she quickly found a successor as Ajla Tomljanovic took over as the highest-ranked Australian on the WTA Tour.

Tomljanovic reached the quarterfinals at the Wimbledon as well as the US Open and she moved up to the 33rd place in the WTA Rankings, just one place away from being seeded at a Grand Slam tournament. However, her ranking doesn't reflect points from Wimbledon quarterfinals, as players didn't get points in the All England Club this year. Speaking about her compatriot, Barty said:

"She's had an exceptional year and deserves to be higher-ranked than she is at the moment," Barty told AAP. "But you can't do anything about that situation. It is what it is and what's held her in really good stead is that she's accepted that and she's getting better and better and better. A couple of big quarter-finals in slams this year, she played some exceptional tennis and she's someone that Aussies can be very proud of."

"Certainly when I played Ajla, I knew I had to be at my absolute very best or she'd completely roll me. And she's got that respect from everyone. She's earned that respect over a number of years in her turning up every single day," she said.

Kyrgios could play mixed doubles with ex-girlfriend Tomljanovic at United Cup
Kyrgios could play mixed doubles with ex-girlfriend Tomljanovic at United Cup

Speaking about how Tomljanovic dealt with injuries and difficult moments in her career after which she still managed to be one of the most consistent players in 2022, the Australian Open champion said:

"She's been through some awful injuries," former world no. 1 said. "She's had hiccups and bumps along the way all through her career and now - fingers crossed, touch wood - that's kind of settled a little bit.It can always be taken away very quickly from you as an athlete but she's had an incredible year, absolutely, and I sincerely hope that she has a big Australian summer so that everyone can celebrate with her. She's doing a hell of a job."

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