Ajla eyes top 30 ranking

AUSSIE star Ajla Tomljanovic dismissed concerns over two heavily taped thighs a week out from the Australian Open after an opening-round win at the Sydney Tennis Classic.

Playing in her 150th main draw, the 28-year-old said she was having a “tough time” with her adductors and hips, but they didn’t appear to hamper her in the 6-2 6-3 win against Slovakian Anna Karolina Schmiedlova.

Coming off a career-best 2021, Tomljanovic is targeting a move into the world top-30 as an early-season goal but isn’t putting any immediate expectations on herself going in to the opening Grand Slam of the season next week.

“As a team, we don’t really set goals where ‘OK, we’ve got to hit this number or this round in a slam’,” she said after her win, which required a comeback from 3-1 down in the second set.

“But the objective always is to improve. For me personally I do set goals of my own.

“It would be to get into the top 30, mostly just because I believe that I can do it. But it will take me to do something that I haven’t done ever, which is play better consistently, win more matches at the bigger stages every week.

“And it’s definitely going to be a task for me just because it hasn’t been done before, but it definitely isn’t something that I feel is too far out of reach.”

Tomljanovic said the extreme tape on both thighs was more precautionary than an indication of an issue which could trouble her when she gets to Melbourne Park.

“I just have a tough time sometimes with my adductors and hips, and just trusting it is not coming easy to me, so I just felt like tape was the right way to go,” she said.

At world No.45, Tomljanovic is the second-highest ranked Australian female behind world No.1 Ash Barty.

But it’s wins, particularly at bigger tournaments, not ranking points, driving her.

Tomljanovic will play Spain’s Paula Badosa in the second round in Sydney.