"It has been a tough year battling minor injuries" - Ajla Tomljanovic ends 2026 season early as Aussie targets 2027 return
WTA
Ajla Tomljanovic has endured a season of setbacks and minor injuries. All added together, it has been too much for the Aussie who is already calling an end to her 2026 season as she looks to get back to her absolute best fitness wise for the 2027 campaign.
The 33-year-old shared the news on Instagram that she will not be taking part in anymore events this year. A bitter blow with a lot of ranking points set to be dished out with some huge tournaments on the horizon.
Next week, the Canadian Open begins followed closely behind by the Cincinnati Open. Those WTA 1000 tournaments are then trumped by the US Open, a tournament Tomljanovic reached the quarter-final of back in 2022.
The Asian swing then culminates the year with WTA 1000 tournaments in Beijing and Wuhan the highlight, but all will be without Tomljanovic who has opted to put her racket down a few months early and focus on rest and recovery.
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Tomljanovic calls it quits for 2026
Tomljanovic broke the news on her Instagram story. "It has been a tough year battling minor injuries, so I've decided to end my season earlier than planned to be healthy and ready for 2027," she wrote. "I hate being away from the courts, but rest assured, I'll never be far away. I'll always be there, but in a different role."
At the age of 33, Tomljanovic is running out of time in her tennis career. Possibly past her pomp, she is one of the best players never to have clinched a WTA title. Five finals have been reached between 2015 and 2024 but all of them have ended in defeats. The most recent coming in the Birmingham Open back in 2024 against Yulia Putintseva.
Ajla Tomljanovic last stepped onto the court at Wimbledon 2026 in a first round defeat
A three-time major quarter-finalist, Tomljanovic knows how to compete with the best on the biggest stage. She has also represented her country proudly with a brace of Billie Jean King Cup Finals in the past, failing to win either of them.
Overall, her form in 2026 has not been great. On the big stage, her best run has been at Indian Wells where she made it to the third round. Just one win at major level did come on home soil, Tomljanovic's best result came at the Libema Open as she made it to the semi-finals, losing to eventual champion Robin Montgomery.
So what is next for Tomljanovic? Prior but brief stints in broadcasting have made her realise that she is not done with the sport yet, but she may not be too far away from the screens in the future, as mentioned in the final line of her message.
She is most certainly not done with her tennis career. Still motivated to plough on and compete with the best, the world number 93 and Australian number five is not done with tennis as of yet, but is done competing in 2026.
Lucas MichaelTennis Journalist
Lucas Michael is a tennis journalist based in Cambridge, UK, specializing in comprehensive coverage of the ATP and WTA tours. For the past 1.5 years, he has been a core contributor to TennisUpToDate, where he has authored more than 3,000 data-driven match reports, deep-dive analysis pieces, and engaging liveblogs.
Lucas pairs real-time statistical analysis with on-the-ground reporting, frequently traveling to tournaments to cover the action firsthand from the press box and player press conferences. This blend of advanced metrics and direct access allows him to provide sharp context regarding player form, tactical trends, and breaking tour developments.
He holds a BA (Hons) in Sports Journalism. Grounded in core journalistic ethics, Lucas places a strict emphasis on meticulous sourcing, editorial accuracy, and a commitment to updating live content swiftly as verified information emerges.
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