Ash Barty says her recent winning streak hasn’t entirely caught her off guard after she made a dream start to the Australian Open on Tuesday.
The world No.1 was in clinical form as she thrashed Danka Kovinic 6-0, 6-0, on the Rod Laver Arena in what was her first Grand Slam match for 12 months. Barty missed both the US Open and French Open last year due to travel concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Against Kovinic she was in top form as she started the match with a 16-point winning streak. Impressively, she only dropped three points behind her serve and produced five unforced errors during the match.
“A night session at Rod Laver Arena is really, really special. It was pretty nice to be out there. Beautiful weather for it, and actually it made the night session, nice sky, just a really enjoyable one,” Barty commented on playing in front of fans again.
“I think the processes and the things we go through before a match and trying to execute that, that’s always a challenge. I felt like I had that spot on, which was really pleasing, to be able to roll with the momentum throughout the whole match was really good.” She added.
Barty has now won five matches in a row after winning the Yarra Valley Classic last week. An impressive run for a player who spent 11 months away from the sport due to the pandemic. Although during that time she has maintained her No.1 ranking thanks to a change in the WTA points system. A decision that has been criticised by some.
As for the 24-year-old, she insists that her recent results are not exceeding her expectations as she seeks to become the first home player to win the Australian Open in over 40 years. Barty reached the semi-finals last year.
“I know deep down my team and I have done the work. We’ve earned the right to play at this level,” she explains. “There’s always a little bit of the unknown at the start of a season, particularly after such a long break, of what that level might be, knowing there’s every chance it’s not going to be exactly where we want it straight away.’
“But that’s the challenge, is coming out here every day and trying to bring my best stuff on that given day and I think knowing that we’ve done the work during preseason, done the work over the years, I feel comfortable in my own skin to go out there and find away, whether the tennis is great or it’s not, I know I’ve got other weapons that I can go to, not just hitting a tennis ball.”
Regardless of her previous successes on the court, which includes nine WTA title, Barty believes there is room for her to improve further in the coming years.
“I want to challenge myself to be the complete player. I want to challenge myself to grow and develop every single day, both as a human and as a tennis player,” she concluded.
Barty will play either compatriot Daria Gavrilova or Spain’s Sara Sorribes Tormo in the second round.
