Australian tennis player Ajla Tomljanovic has seen a significant drop in her rankings over the past year, which has been received with significant shock by many, including World No.21 Donna Vekic.

Tomljanovic returned to the WTA tour at the 2023 US Open, following an eight month hiatus due to a knee injury suffered at the Billie Jean King Cup last year. Prior to that event, the Aussie had defeated Serena Williams in the American's final match of her career.

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Vekic expresses surprise at Tomljanovic's new ranking

A tennis fan pointed out Tomljanovic's sharp decline, stating the Australian had dropped outside of the top 250, as she currently sits at World No.296.

Upon finding out, Vekic, who is a good friend of Tomljanovic, was taken aback by this piece of information.

"She had a knee surgery and played one match the whole year?" wrote Vekic in response to the fan's tweet.

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Although Tomljanovic won her first-round match in New York, the 30-year old was forced to withdraw from her second-round match due to her recurring knee injury.