Australian tennis star Ajla Tomljanovic has cited arm soreness for her withdrawal from the US Open in New York.
Tomljanovic pulled out simply hours earlier than her scheduled second-round showdown with fourth-seeded Australian Open runner-up Elena Rybakina on Wednesday.
The 2022 quarter-finalist was unable to again up from her taxing first-round win over Panna Udvardy.
Tomljanovic’s emotion-charged 3-6 6-2 6-4 victory over the Hungarian was her first match in 9 months after present process surgical procedure in January for a critical knee harm.
But in a welcome revelation, the 30-year-old mentioned it wasn’t a knee difficulty that pressured her out.
“My body still needs time to adjust to the intensity of high-level tennis,” Tomljanovic posted on social media.
“Don’t wanna make this a sad post even though I did pull out today.
“I’m pleased with the work we did to get right here nevertheless it was just a bit too early.
“Thank you to the NY fans for all your support, Monday afternoon was good for my soul.
“Back to work for me.”
Despite remaining upbeat, Tomljanovic’s scratching is nevertheless another setback in a season already cruelly ruined by the untimely knee injury, which struck at the peak of her career.
She had been poised to be seeded at a grand slam for the first time, at her home major no less, before having to pull out of the Australian Open, then the French Open and Wimbledon.
Last year Tomljanovic ended Serena Williams’ storied career in the third round at Flushing Meadows en route to becoming the first Australian since the legendary Evonne Goolagong Cawley in 1979 to reach the quarter-finals of both Wimbledon and the US Open in a single season.
This year the three-time grand slam quarter-finalist will depart New York with her ranking set to plummet to No.292 in the world.
She will now want wildcards or to use her injury-protected rating to achieve entry to WTA occasions.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
