“I’m not worthy of being mentioned with Roger, Novak, Rafa, Serena,” World No. 1 Ash Barty still ‘wants to be a little better’
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Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams, Roger Federer, Ash Barty
3-time Grand Slam champion and the year-end World No. 1 player on the WTA Tour for 3 consecutive years, Ash Barty is just getting started. The 25-year old already has majors across all surfaces and is widely regarded as the best player across surfaces by her colleagues as well but the Australian is not of the same thought process.
The 25-year old is yet to lose a match this year and is on an 11-match winning streak that has seen her pick the WTA-500 Adelaide International and then the 2022 Australian Open, ending Australia’s wait of 44 years for a homegrown Slam winner in Melbourne Park. She also won the doubles title in Adelaide and has reached the finals of all Slams in doubles having won the 2018 US Open doubles as well.
With Barty now the only 5th active player to have majors on all 3 surfaces and just the 2nd active woman after Serena Williams, the Australian was humbled to be named alongside the legends of the sport with the Big-3 members of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic being the other 3 players.
“Some of the things that people have said to me after tonight, I don’t belong in those categories. I’m not worthy of being mentioned with the champions of our sport, Roger Novak, Rafa, Serena. Like, I don’t belong with them. They have created a legacy in this sport. I’m still learning. I’m still learning my craft, I’m still refining my craft. I’m just trying to learn on the fly, week in, week out with the people that are around me.
“Each and every time I step out onto the court, I just want to grow. I just want to be a little bit better. Whether it’s my forehand, my serve, my backhand slice, one-shot that I try, tactically something I do, I just want that to be a little bit better than the last time I tried it,” said Barty during her interview with WTA Insider after having won the Australian Open.
Ash Barty credits her team for her success after her break from tenins
Barty turned Pro in 2010 at the age of 15 having earlier won the Junior Slam titles at the 2011 Wimbledon and made a semi-final run at the 2011 US Open. She was becoming regular in Doubles, reaching 3 Slam finals in 2013, she was not finding success in singles. To take some time away from tennis, she went on a hiatus and played Cricket in the Women’s Big Bash League and returned back to tennis in 2016 starting training under her current coach Craig Tyzzer.
“Continually trying to grow has held us in really good stead the last few years. That product is because of the people that are around me. The team that I started this second phase of my career with essentially hasn’t changed. That’s what excites me the most.
“They’ve been with me when I played my first 50K in Eastbourne with no ranking. I had nothing. I had absolutely no starting point. They were with me then and they’re still with me now. All of the time in between the memories and the experiences and the opportunities that we’ve had have been second to none. It’s been incredible,” added Barty crediting her team for her success.
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