Aussie Ajla Tomljanovic takes on Jelena Ostapenko in icy Wimbledon rematch

Three years later, Ajla Tomljanovic has no regrets about her infamous on-court altercation with Jelena Ostapenko at Wimbledon.

But Australian Wimbledon specialist Tomljanovic believes the pair are ‘cool’ these days, with nothing but mutual respect as they prepare to do battle again at SW19 in their second Grand Slam match of the year.

WATCH VIDEO ABOVE: Tomljanovic and Ostapenko exchange words after the 2021 match.

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The high-profile first round encounter, scheduled for Tuesday, raised eyebrows and put a smile on the face of the draw on Friday when Tomljanovic, who made an impressive comeback, was paired with the former Roland Garros champion.

But Tomljanovic, who criticized the combative Latvian in their 2021 fourth-round match for what she saw as a feigned injury, did not back down.

The only thing the draw brought to her was the thought that it looked like a very difficult opening match.

“We are cool, I would say,” Tomljanovic said, when asked about her relationship with Ostapenko these days, adamant that their argument was now ancient history.

“Last week we had a 30 minute hit in Birmingham and look, for me what happened was history.”

Recalling the episode in which Ostapenko took umbrage at Tomljanovic’s accusation that she was lying about an injury and blasted the Australian as “the worst player on tour”, the Australian, who won that match, shrugged that she had no regrets had.

“Looking back on it after all these years, did I overreact? Maybe. At that moment, it felt what I felt, and I don’t regret it in any way.

“But I do think that in the heat of battle it is sometimes good to show emotion. In the end it is sport.

“I’m just showing where our relationship is now, where we can greet each other. I respect her and at the same time I think it is mutual.

“So it’s all very much in the past, I actually don’t think about it anymore.

“I’m just excited to have Jelena playing here. We’ve always had exciting games, whenever we’ve played.

“I like to let her play on grass because it keeps me focused from the start.

“It also gives me a little more intensity in training knowing that I’m going to get some really big shots from her and probably some short points.

“I’ve played her a few times since that match. I’m a different person now, things might not bother me so much anymore.

“When I think back to that moment, I would never have made it past the fourth round and that was very emotional for me. Now I’m just looking forward to the fight.

“But one hundred percent it is certainly tough. I know from the start that I have to perform at a very high level.

Tomljanovic, who has made a thrilling comeback in the past month after being sidelined by injuries for the past year and a half, takes confidence from reaching the final of the Birmingham Classic at Edgbaston last weekend.

“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t believe a run (to a third Wimbledon quarter-final and even beyond) could still be a possibility, but knowing that it might not happen is the beauty of sport,” the 31-year-old smiled.

“You don’t know when your time is.”

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