Ajla Tomljanovic and Jelena Ostapenko are going to face each other at Wimbledon on Tuesday. It will be their first meeting at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club since 2021, when their tennis match ended in fireworks.
The rematch could be spicy!
Tomljanovic, 31, is the underdog. Ostapenko, 27, is the favorite. The latter defeated the former during their sole match over the last two years in the Round of 64 at the Australian Open.
However, anything could happen with tensions running high between the two athletes. They have a rivalry that dates back three years. Their beef dates back three years to The Championships.
Ostapenko trailed 4-0 in the third set of the third round. She requested a medical timeout with Tomljanovic about to serve.
Tomljanovic was convinced that Ostapenko was lying and voiced her opinion to the chair umpire. That did not go over well. Both players were furious.
Play eventually resumed and Tomljanovic went on to win 4-6, 6-4, 6-2. Their post-match handshake got feisty in a hurry.
If you think I’m faking it, you can talk with the physio. Your behavior is terrible. You have zero respect.
— Jelena Ostapenko
Tomljanovic told Ostapenko that she was one to talk. Ostapenko told Tomljanovic that she has the worst attitude on tour. The verbal jabs flew back and forth until they eventually went their separate ways.
It did not stop there!
Ostapenko insisted that she was dealing with an abdominal injury and labeled her opponent as disrespectful. Tomljanovic still didn’t buy it.
She can say she was injured. I don’t think she was. I think it was a clear reason she wanted to get me off my game. Game-wise, there was nothing wrong with her […]
I think it is disgraceful behavior from someone who is a Slam champion. If she was injured, she could have gone about it in a better way.
— Ajla Tomljanovic
All of the drama between them was extremely entertaining and was never put to bed. Neither athlete apologized. Neither athlete cleared the air.
Now three years later, Ostapenko and Tomljanovic will meet again at Wimbledon. Their first round matchup is not only a good one from a strictly on-court tennis perspective, the underlying beef that stems from this very same tournament makes Monday’s match must-see television!