Evert believed Tomljanovic's hunger to succeed improved after Berrettini break-up: "Starting to see it now that she doesn't have a boyfriend"
WTA
Australian tennis player Ajla Tomljanovic made an inspired run to last year's Wimbledon quarterfinals, and Chris Evert jokingly stated this was due to her break-up with then-boyfriend Matteo Berrettini.
In the first episode of the second season of Netflix's 'Break Point', Evert and Tomljanovic were featured when the former World No.1 came to visit the Aussie star. Tomljanovic has stated that she sees Evert as a second mother, with the feeling being reciprocated by the retired American champion.
"Chris Evert went from being Chris Evert, the legend to mentor/friend, almost like, you know, a second mom," Tomljanovic said.
"She's my daughter. I didn't have a daughter, I had three sons," revealed the 18-time Grand Slam singles champion.
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Furthermore, Evert praised Tomljanovic's new mentality, jokingly claiming that the Aussie had more hunger to win because she didn't have a boyfriend anymore. This was in reference to Tomljanovic's break up with Berrettini earlier in 2022.
"She's stronger now," said Evert. "The last couple years, all that was missing from her game was the mental part, like she wasn't hungry enough or she didn't want it enough, but I'm starting to see it now, now that she doesn't have a boyfriend. I don't know if she will like me saying that."
Tomljanovic would later lose in the quarterfinals against eventual champion Elena Rybakina.
Growing up in a household where soccer was king, my earliest memories are filled with chants from packed stadiums and the rhythm of a ball being passed across neighborhood streets. But somewhere along the way, the quiet elegance and raw emotion of tennis pulled me in. What began as a curiosity became a lifelong passion; not just for the sport itself, but for the stories it tells: of grit, of heartbreak, of improbable comebacks and human resilience.
As a tennis writer, I bring the observational lens of someone who didn’t grow up in the sport, but fell in love with it as an outsider; a perspective that lets me see both its technical beauty and its emotional depth. Over the years working with TennisUpToDate, I’ve had the privilege of reaching more than 3.5 million readers worldwide, with one of my features ranking among the site’s top three articles.
With a background in storytelling and a creative mind always searching for meaning beyond the scoreboard, I aim to craft narratives that go deeper than results and rankings. Whether it’s a rising star breaking through or a veteran fighting off Father Time, I try to capture the heartbeat behind the headlines.
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