STANFORD, CALIF. — It’s been a year of ups and downs for Ajla Tomljanovic, although the 22-year-old Croat will admit the downs have been winning out.   

After a promising start to the year, highlighted by a run to her first career final in Pattaya City in February, she went into a stall. There was an illness, followed by a series of early-round disappointments.

“You lose confidence,” said Tomljanovic, who calls Brisbane, Australia home these days.  “You’re not winning many matches, you start thinking about things, rankings, and that’s bad because you’re thinking about things that you can’t control instead of focusing on yourself.”

Amidst the sputter also came a coaching split. In June, Tomljanovic parted ways with the man who had been mentoring her for the past 18 months, David Taylor, the nose-to-the-grindstone Australian who was splitting his time between Tomljanovic and Sam Stosur.

“The way it happened — I didn’t really know what to do after that,” she said. “My main goal was just to get back to why I started playing tennis because I love the sport. It sort of became a job at one point. I hated that feeling.”

“He’s a great coach,” added Tomljanovic of Taylor. “He showed me a new level of intensity, which I really appreciate. There are so many positives that I took from that partnership, but it just didn’t click all the way. I do believe the things he taught me will show sooner or later. He felt like he couldn’t help me anymore, really. He thought it was time for a change. What am I going to do? I just keep going.”

For the moment at least, all that is behind her. Two rounds into a trial coaching arrangement at the Bank of the West Classic, where she’s been working with former touring pro John-Laffnie de Jaeger of South Africa, she’s undefeated, having prevailed in a pair of come-from-behind three-setters over Russia’s Vitalia Diatchenko (3-6, 6-0, 6-0) and American Madison Keys (1-6, 6-4, 6-1).

“It’s not a bad start,” she smiled, before cautioning, “I don’t want to get too far ahead, but I’m happy the way things are going.”

There’s more to Tomljanovic’s newfound confidence than just a change of personnel. For her, it’s more of a change in perspective.

“Whenever I go out, I want to win every match,” said Tomljanovic, currently ranked No. 69. “But I’m already considering this a great week. Maybe in the past I wouldn’t be satisfied yet, but when you go through some rough patches it makes you appreciate wins more.”

Those rough patches included opening-round losses on hard courts (her favorite surface) in both Indian Wells and Miami. And then there was the grass-court season, which Tomljanovic calls “a disaster.” Despite winning the first match of her career at the All England Club, she failed to get beyond the second round at Nottingham, Birmingham, Eastbourne, and Wimbledon.

Funny how a few wins can help you forget all that. Well, almost.