Australian tennis nice Sam Stosur is adamant injury-hit star Ajla Tomljanovic can return to her high-ranking finest heading forward of an Australian Open with no native feminine participant ranked on this planet’s high 100.
Stosur has been given the job of serving to usher the rising group of next-generation expertise to the subsequent stage as the brand new captain of Australia’s Billie Jean King Cup crew, taking up from Alicia Molik who took her squad to the ultimate in 2019 and 2022 throughout her 10 years in cost.
Both Tomljanovic, who rose as excessive as 33 in rankings throughout a career-best 12 months in 2022, and Daria Saville, who made the highest 20 in 2017, have been battling important accidents which have restricted their on-court efforts.
Tomljanovic, who was pressured out of final 12 months’s Open and spent almost 9 months on the sidelines, received a breakthrough match in Brazil final month and whereas her present rating is 290, she has been assured a spot at Melbourne Park courtesy of “special ranking” of 33, which she was earlier than final 12 months’s grand slam.
She is at present the one non-wildcard feminine Australian participant in the principle draw with Kimberly Birrell, Olivia Gadecki and Taylah Preston all given wildcards in to the primary grand slam of the 12 months.
The quantity compares poorly to a robust batch of male gamers, with eight already within the draw, all ranked within the high 70, and that’s with out injured famous person Nick Kyrgios.
Stosur conceded it was a “big month” for the massive cohort of females ranked simply exterior the highest 100, with 5 between Arina Rodionova at 113 and Storm Hunter at 172, with alternatives at tournaments in Brisbane, Hobart and Adelaide to push their trigger for one of many few remaining wildcards, in addition to Australian Open qualifying.
“We’ve got a big group of women in that 100-150 range. Ideally we want them inside the top 100 as soon as possible,” she stated on Thursday.
“We have been a little bit unlucky with Ajla and Dascha (Saville) succumbing to injury but they are both back now, Ajla just won a tournament a little while ago.
“I have full belief they will get back to where they were.
“We’ve got to try and get this next group inside the top 100 and I think the fact there is such an amount of players in that, 110-150, it only takes one and the erst want to follow. “This is a big month coming up.”
Stosur stated it was all the time going to be tough to comply with the success of three-time grand slam champion Ash Barty who received the Australian Open in 2022 earlier than retiring.
But she was hopeful that Barty’s inspiration would linger for a while among the many group of gamers discovering their means on the high stage.
“Your Ash Bartys of the world don’t come around very often, that’s what everyone wants to aspire to,” Stosur stated.
“She certainly inspired everyone around the nation with what she did here at the Australian Open so I know all the players can see that and know someone has done it from here, but you have to go through all the levels of progressions.
“Tennis is a tough sport, it’s a world sport, it’s not easy. You need lots of things to go right for you and the desire from the players first and foremost.”
AUSTRALIA’S TOP-RANKED FEMALE PLAYERS
113 Arina Rodionova
114 Kimberly Birrell
123 Astra Sharma
125 Olivia Gadecki
172 Storm Hunter
204 Daria Saville
290 Ajla Tomljanovic
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
