Ajla Tomljanovic teases Matteo Berrettini mixed pairing in 2022
The My Tennis Life star blames bad luck for delays to the couple’s mixed doubles debut.
In the immortal words of Julia Lemigova, wife of Martina Navratilova and current Real Housewife of Miami: Life is like tennis: You can win at singles, but doubles is always more fun.
Ajla Tomljanovic can’t know that for sure, as she and partner Matteo Berrettini are yet to make their major mixed debut—but the Croatian-born Aussie teased that it may still happen in 2022.
“We keep making these plans but they fall through, usually because one of us isn’t feeling all the way great physically,” she explained over the phone from Dubai. “It’s been me the last few Slams, and he’s always going deep in singles, anyway.”
Tomljanovic planned to play mixed with Berrettini last summer at Wimbledon, but both ended up making milestone singles runs: Tomljanovic made her first major quarterfinal while Berrettini finished runner-up to Novak Djokovic.
The two were absent from the mixed doubles entry list at the Australian Open, but with three more majors to go this season, the 28-year-old isn’t ruling it out.
“We definitely want to do it and we always try; trust me, at every Slam, it’s the plan but it falls through. I know it’ll happen but I just don’t know when!”
Blessed with powerful groundstrokes and aggressive games the couple would surely make a formidable mixed duo—not dissimilar from current Australian Open mixed winners Kristina Mladenovic and Ivan Dodig.
Tomljanovic may have reached the women’s doubles quarterfinals in her Melbourne main draw debut back in 2014, but jokingly expects Berrettini to take the lead should the two take the court for a mixed match.
“I would say he’s the better doubles player in the pair. I’m mostly curious to see our dynamic; I’d say I’m just as curious as everyone else!”
Tomljanovic and Berrettini have certainly made quite a pair off-court, cheering on Team Italy during last summer’s Euros victory and striding the red carpet at the Met Gala.