The opponent’s ball lands short and the woman in black steps into the court to attack it as she has countless times before. But this time her ferocious forehand finds the net. The game, set and match are over. A collective sigh goes up from the vast crowd, followed by a reluctant but resounding cheer. Tears will follow and thousands of articles will be written. The woman is Serena Williams, the match at the 2022 US Open her last as a professional tennis player. Even those with zero interest in the sport know her name and recognise her greatness.
But who was the other woman on the court that day? Only devout tennis nerds will know the answer and few besides them will recognise the name Ajla Tomljanović, even if the Australian is a three-time Grand Slam quarter-finalist and hardly a newcomer.
