Ajla Tomljanovic, a two-time Wimbledon quarterfinalist, has withdrawn from the 2023 edition of the grass-court Grand Slam due to a knee injury. The World No. 59 announced her decision on social media on Monday, June 26, saying that she was not fully recovered to compete at her best level.
Tomljanovic has been out of action since November 2022, when she represented Australia at the Billie Jean King Cup finals and was supposed to make her comeback at the United Cup in January 2023 but pulled out of her first match due to her knee problem. The Australian then skipped the Australian Open and the French Open, hoping to be fit for Wimbledon.
However, her recovery has taken longer than expected and she has decided to skip the third Grand Slam of the year as well. She said that she was eager to get back on the court but this year Wimbledon came a bit sooner than she was ready for.
"After experiencing many special emotions and memories in Wimbledon over the last few years I had very high hopes of making my return there this year. Unfortunately, my knee is still asking for just a bit more time before I can have full confidence in it in order to play at my best level," Tomljanovic wrote on Twitter. "Really eager to get back out there but this year Wimbledon came a bit sooner than I was ready for. I know it will be worth the wait and am already looking forward to next year," she added.
Tomljanovic reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon in 2021 and 2022, losing to Ashleigh Barty and Elena Rybakina respectively, and also made the fourth round in 2019. Her best Grand Slam result came at the 2022 US Open, where she reached the semifinals. Tomljanovic's withdrawal is a blow to Australia's chances at Wimbledon, as she was their highest-ranked female player. Wimbledon will begin on June 27 and run till July 10 with seven Australian women in the running to be in the main draw, they are:
Daria Saville
Kimberly Birrell
Jaimee Fourlis
Priscilla Hon
Olivia Gadecki
Storm Hunter
Arina Rodionova