Melbourne, Australia, 8 May 2022 | Leigh Rogers

To celebrate Mother’s Day, Australia’s top two-ranked women’s singles players reflect on the impact their mothers have had on their careers …

Ajla Tomljanovic

“My mum is actually the reason I got into tennis,” explains Tomljanovic, describing her mother Emina as “the tennis player in my family”.

While Tomljanovic’s father, Ratko, serves as her coach, her mother is a quiet supporter as the world No.38 chases her dreams.

“She was never my coach or anything like that. But I know whenever she did have some advice for me, I would always listen because she wasn’t the one that would talk a lot about my tennis,” says Tomljanovic.

“My mum always respected my coaches and my dad in that sense. She would always take care of my nutrition, so she was cooking for me from a really young age and making sure I had everything I needed.”

The 29-year-old Tomljanovic also describes her mother as an incredible “comfort”.

“You know, you need those people in your life that when things get hard, you just call them,” she explained. “She’s just been an unbelievable rock in that way.”

Maddison Inglis

“My mum is incredible. I couldn’t have asked for a better mum as a support,” says Inglis.

The 24-year-old from Perth shares how her mother, Linda, played an important role in her developmental years.

“She took me to back and forth from tennis for so long. Since I was seven, until when I could drive. Until, I guess, I was 18. So 11 years,” relates Inglis. “And she would just wait there in the car park while I trained for two hours, every single day. So there’s no way I’d be anywhere near where I am without her.”

The world No.126 also notes how tennis established a special bond between them.

“We would go every weekend, go and play pennant and just enjoy spending time together,” recalls Inglis. “So it was really special to have those moments with mum.”

Although Inglis is now based in Brisbane and spends many months travelling and competing overseas, she remains in constant contact with her mother.

“She never misses a match. Any match around the world, she’s calling or she’s texting me straight after,” Inglis says. “I feel the support so much from her, so she’s incredible.”

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers in our Tennis community 

> Book online, play today: Visit play.tennis.com.au to get out on court and have some fun!