“There’s always an effect when the No.1 doesn’t play,” Martina Navratilova shares her thoughts on Ash Barty missing the Sunshine Double
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Ash Barty and Martina Navratilova
Ashleigh Barty incredibly came back from losing 5-1 in the second set to beat Danielle Collins in straight sets in the final of the Australian Open 2022. With the win, Barty yet again showed why she is World No.1 and proved her credentials as the pre-tournament favorite.
With the title win, Barty now has three Grand Slam titles to her name, one of which she has won in front of her home crowd. Throughout the whole contest, the 25-year-old was constantly cheered on by the home crowd, which must have helped her to make the incredible comeback in the second set.
Navratilova speaks on Ash Barty not playing at Indian Wells
Ashleigh Barty recently pulled out of both the Sunshine Double tournaments, revealing that her body has still not recovered from the grueling Australian Open win and thus decided to skip the Miami Open and Indian Wells. Her withdrawal has left the field open for competition, with it being anyone’s guess on who will win the tournament.
18-time Grand Slam singles champion Martina Navratilova spoke to WTA Tennis and gave her thoughts on Barty giving the tournament a miss and the people who could potentially win the tournament.
The legend revealed that missing a tournament as important as the Sunshine Double will definitely have an effect on her top rank. She also concluded that Barty not playing opens up the field for the rest of the competition too.
“There’s always an effect when the No.1 doesn’t play, of course. She’s the two-time defending champion in Miami and plays well this time of year. As far as what it does for the rest of the field? It’s been pretty wide open lately. She’s been No.1 but other players have showed dominance on the court as well.” said Navratilova.
She further went on to state there were ten or so players who have a chance to win the tournament in Barty’s absence according to her. Navratilova emphasized that the Aussie’s absence wouldn’t change much overall since most tournaments are pretty wide open.
“So, it does open it up a little bit. There are probably 10 players who think they have a chance to win the tournament, with or without her. It’s possible. Most tournaments have been pretty wide open, so at the end of the day, I don’t think it changes that much overall,” continued Navratilova.
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Akash Mandal
(433 Articles Published)