Channel Your Anger: Ajla Tomljanovic Shares the ‘Pep Talk’ Behind Her Triumph Over Maya Joint

Just days after suffering a semi-final defeat to Australian teenager Maya Joint in Morocco, Ajla Tomljanovic harnessed her “anger” to bounce back and progress at Roland-Garros.

Tomljanovic retired during the first set of her match against Joint due to an abdominal issue, as the 19-year-old went on to claim victory in both singles and doubles at the tournament.

Joint, who had just celebrated her first WTA tournament win, faced a difficult challenge, losing 6-1, 6-3 to the experienced Tomljanovic on a fast clay surface.

Tomljanovic revealed that a motivating conversation with her coach helped set the tone for her match against the formidable Joint.

“My coach gave me a brilliant pep talk – ‘You’ve got to channel that anger and be determined’ – and it genuinely worked for me today,” said Tomljanovic, 32.

“Maya’s been playing exceptionally well, and after thinking it over for a few days, I realised that if I didn’t come out swinging, it would be a real battle. It’s great to see everything come together when I play with the right mindset.”

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“I spent a lot of time considering how I wanted to approach today’s match and the changes I needed to implement since Rabat. Coming back after such a quick turnaround to compete in a Grand Slam is never straightforward, so I made sure to capitalise on that.

“Maya is really young and will learn how to handle those emotions as she progresses. She’s been playing fantastic tennis, so I’m genuinely pleased with today’s victory.”

Tomljanovic noted that she aimed to address her sluggish start in Morocco as she prepared for her round one matchup at Roland-Garros.

“I realised I needed to take on the role of aggressor; I felt a bit slow at the start, and she was directing the play. I should have been the one taking charge.

“Whenever I didn’t take that initiative today, she seized the opportunity. It was all about maintaining a more aggressive mindset.”

This win sets up a clash for Tomljanovic against fourth seed Jasmine Paolini, who reached the semi-finals last year.

Earlier, Alexei Popyrin secured his first first-round victory in Paris in six years, defeating Yoshihito Nishioka after the Japanese player had to retire with a back injury while trailing 7-5, 6-4, 1-2.

“I feel like my game is starting to return, and the results are starting to show more consistency with match wins each week. That’s really significant,” remarked Popyrin, who will face Alejandro Tabilo from Chile in the next round.

Jordan Thompson fell to a 6-4, 6-2, 6-1 defeat against rising Czech star Jiri Lehecka.

In other Australian results from Paris, Chris O’Connell lost 7-5, 6-3, 7-6(3) to No.22 Ugo Humbert, while Aleksandar Vukic was defeated 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 by No.24 Karen Khachanov.

Daria Saville encountered a heavy defeat, losing 6-2, 6-1 to Australian Open champion Madison Keys, while Kim Birrell was overpowered by Romanian Jaqueline Cristian with a score of 6-1, 6-0.