‘Not Going to Be a Fan on Friday’- Ajla Tomljanovic Prepares for Serena Williams Battle at US Open 2022 Round 3

Playing in her last tournament, Serena Williams fought her way to the third round of the US Open 2022. The legendary tennis player earlier announced her retirement after the ongoing season. Entering her last Grand Slam, Serena was in very poor form. In her most recent appearance, she received an absolute thrashing from last year’s US Open champion, Emma Raducanu. While the expectations were the least from the American, she has shown tremendous grit to win her first two matches.

Up next, she is going to face the Australian tennis star, Ajla Tomljanović in her third-round encounter. Before the match, Tomljanovic spoke about her interaction with Serena so far in her career.

Ajla Tomljanović on Serena Williams

Addressing the media after her second-round win, the Australian spoke about her little interaction so far with Serena Williams. “I mean, I feel like when she’s at a tournament, I don’t really get close to her so much. She’s kind of in her own little world. But I’ve hung out with her more when it was totally off the court,” she said. Further, the Aussie spoke about the aura of the legendary player. “She kind of has that aura like Roger, Rafa, and deservedly so. I always get happy when she says hi to me.” 

However, Tomljanovic made it clear that she won’t look at her as a fan in her next match. “I look at her – I’m going to stop saying it – as a fan, because I’m not going to be a fan on Friday,” she said.

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Further, the Aussie spoke about the time she hung out with Serena off the court. “We hung out after the Met Gala last year. Florida, I went to watch. She had this dance thing. This is years ago. She’s just been really cool off the court, so normal. I don’t know. It’s cool to see.”

The next match for Serena is set to be another thriller. It will be interesting to see if the legend can continue her run in the tournament.

Serena vs Tomljanović

Both Serena and Tomljanovic look in great form before going into the clash. While Serena won her first match in straight sets, she had to fight harder in her second match. Similarly, Tomljanovic won her first-round match against Karolina Muchova in straight sets but had to grind harder in her second match where she defeated Evgeniya Rodina in three sets.

Earlier this year, Tomljanovic made it to the quarterfinal of the Wimbledon Championships as well. The world number 46 has reached the third round of the US Open for the second straight year. However, she has never gone past that in her career. The two have never played against each other.

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On the other hand, Serena Williams is a six-time US Open champion. Can Serena Win her 24th Grand Slam title? Let us know in the comments below.