At the start of the new year Ash Barty is likely to be one of the players under the most pressure on the women’s tour.
With proceedings kicking off in her home country, many are hoping that the world No.1 can end Australia’s lengthy wait for a grand slam champion at the Melbourne major. It has been 41 years since the Australian Open was won by a home player when unseeded player Chris O’Neil stunned the field to win the 1978 title.
Barty has already proven that she has what it takes to triumph in the biggest events in the sport after clinching the French Open title back in June. More recently, she defeated Elina Svitolina to win the prestigious WTA Finals. Overall, she has earned $11,307,587 in prize money during 2019, which is almost $3 million more than that of Roger Federer. The hope for Barty and her team is that she can keep her momentum going into 2020.
“I can’t wait to play in front of the Aussie crowd again and go out there and give it my all,” Barty told The Sydney Morning Herald.
“Regardless of whether I win or lose I think the Aussie public love the fact when Australians come out and do give it a crack.
“That’s what I can promise – I’ll go out there and give it my best and then whatever happens, happens.”
The 23-year-old is set to play two tournaments prior to the Australian Open, where she reached the quarter-finals at this year. She will open her season at the Brisbane International before travelling to Adelaide the week after.
“I love playing in Australia. I love playing in front of the Australian public and obviously it’s an opportunity for us Aussies to play the first month of the year at home.” She stated.
“I didn’t hesitate at all in trying to play as much as I could – not just in playing more matches leading up to the Australian Open but also enjoying it.
“I love playing in Australia and I think being able to play for the whole month is really exciting.”
Despite her ranking, Barty knows that victory is not guaranteed. The women’s tour is renowned for its unpredictability. The past three years have seen all of the four grand slam tournaments won by different players.
“There shouldn’t be any assumptions in sport,” she said.
“There are no certainties in sport and I think that is the beauty of sport – anyone can be beaten on any given day.”
Barty has won seven WTA titles so far in her career, but none of those have been on home soil.
Barty at the Australian Open (singles only)
- 2012 – R1
- 2013 – R2
- 2014 – R1
- 2015/2016 – DID NOT PLAY
- 2017 – R3
- 2018 – R2
- 2019 – QF
