Following the aftermath of her shock exit from the Australian Open Ash Barty was able to look at things in perspective with the help of the newest addition to her family.
The world No.1 was knocked out of the semi-finals in Melbourne by 21-year-old American Sofia Kenin. A player who hadn’t gone past the fourth round of a major tournament prior to this year. Barty’s loss ends Australia’s hopes of a home player winning a singles title at the tournament for the first time since 1978. A bitter pill for Barty to swallow, but at least she had somebody to console her after the match.
Entering her routine press conference after her defeat, journalists were caught off guard when she turned up carrying a baby girl named Olivia. A perhaps random decision from the French Open champion, but one that also had meaning.
“It’s my newest niece. My sister just had her about 11, 12 weeks ago. This is what life is all about. It’s amazing.” She said of Olivia.
“Perspective is a beautiful thing. Life is a beautiful thing. She brought a smile to my face as soon as I came off the court. I got to give her a hug. It’s all good. It’s all good.” She added.
Throughout this year’s tournament, there were high expectations for the 23-year-old. Not only is she the highest ranked player in the world, Barty also recently won the Adelaide International. Her first WTA trophy on home soil. Furthermore, organizers promoted Barty as one of the star attractions through numerous advertisements and so forth. A rapid surge of interest in somebody who was seeded only 15th in the tournament 12 months ago.
It is for this reason, some argue that the pressure got too much for the top seed. However, Barty has an alternative view.
“I’ve been in a Grand Slam semifinal before. Yes, it’s different at home. I enjoyed the experience.” She said.
“I love being out there. I’ve loved every minute of playing in Australia over the last month. I could have had an opportunity to go one more match, but we (my team) didn’t quite get that today.”
Besides the positive outlook, there is also the inevitable frustration. Against Kenin Barty was unable to capitalize on her opportunities. Failing to convert two set points during the first set tiebreak and then losing a break advantage in the second.
Reflecting on the past month, the world No.1 has said she has learned a lot and hopes to put it into action in the coming weeks. Although she was coy about what it is that she has learned. Saying to reporters ‘I don’t need to tell you guys. Obviously I’ll keep that, keep chipping away, keep learning, keep growing.’ Only time will see what she means by this.
“I’ve learnt so much over the last month. I’ve learnt from all of the experiences that I’ve kind of been thrown into. I’ve loved every minute.” She evaluated of her Australian summer.
“I won’t wait a year to put those into practice. I’ll put those into practice next week. The next time I walk out on court, the next time I kind of wake up in the morning, every experience you need to learn from. I’ve done that.’
“I feel like as a team we’ve grown. We’ve enjoyed every single minute. I mean, can’t wait to get started for kind of the rest of the year.”
Barty will return to action at the Dubai Tennis Championships. The tournament will get underway on February 17th.
