After an injury-marred 2023 season and an operation on non-cancerous uterine tumours in February this year, Ajla Tomljanovic is returning to the tour at next week’s WTA 125 tournament in Parma, Italy.
The 31-year-old Tomljanovic, currently ranked No.219, faced serious setbacks in 2023. Despite reaching a career-high singles ranking of No.32 in April of that year, she underwent knee surgery, which sidelined her for a considerable period.
Her comeback began at the 2023 US Open, but she withdraw after playing just one match as her body needed more time to adjust to the intensity of top-level tennis. The Australian then played some more tournaments in 2023 and continued her comeback at this year’s Australian Open, advancing to the second round before succumbing to 11th seed Jelena Ostapenko in a three-set match. Subsequently, she competed at the Thailand Open, but suffered a straight-sets defeat to Hungarian qualifier Dalma Galfi.
On February 6, from her hospital bed, Tomljanovic took to Instagram to share a personal update with her fans, announcing her temporary withdrawal from competition: “Hello everyone, unfortunately, I won’t be competing for a couple of weeks… was very much looking forward to the next hard court events. I had to get some uterine fibroids removed and will be watching from home while healing.”
View this post on Instagram
Now, she is set to make her return to the Hologic WTA Tour at the May 13-18 Parma Ladies Open, a WTA 125 event in Italy, marking a significant milestone in her journey back to competitive tennis.
“I’m really excited to announce that I’ll be coming to Parma to compete at the Parma Ladies Open,” Tomljanovic said. “It’s been awhile since I’ve been back in Italy, so I’m so excited to be back. Especially after a little break, for that to be my first one is extra special. I’ve never been to Parma, so I’m excited to explore this city, see all the passionate fans, and of course the food.”
