Ash Barty has stated that her current place at the top of the WTA rankings doesn’t guarantee anything as she aims to reach her best form in time for the Australian Open.
The French Open champion will return to action in Adelaide following a disappointing start to her season in Brisbane last week. At the event the Australian crashed out of her opening match to Jennifer Brady in straight sets. A rare occurrence for Barty, who only lost her opening match in one out of 15 tournaments played last year. Not to be disheartened by her latest loss, the 23-year-old is hoping to get back on track.
“I can’t wait to start. Every match I play here will be a bonus, I’ve done my preparation well. I’ve put myself in a position to try and play my best tennis,” Barty told reporters.
“At the moment, this event is all that’s on my mind.”
Whilst Adelaide is at the top of her priorities at present, Barty is hoping the tournament will place her on a good footing heading into the Australian Open. Where she will be bidding to become the first home player to win a singles title there since 1978. Last year she reached the quarter-finals in Melbourne for the first time in her career.
Currently ranked No.1 in the world, there are high expectations for Barty to deliver in front of her home crowd. Although she is yet to win a WTA title of any sort in Australia. Last year she made $11,307,587 in prize money on the tour.
“Regardless of what number is next to my name – and whether it’s one, two, 10, 20, 50 – it’s not going to make me any more or less hungry to try and be the best that I can be,” she explained. “That is what we’re striving for every single day, to try and improve every single day and try and bring the best out of myself.
“And I have an exceptional team of people around me that help me do that and that is all we worry about – there certainly won’t be any stresses about whatever number is there.”
Having a number next to your name doesn’t guarantee anything – it doesn’t guarantee wins.
“You still have to go out there and do the work … and do your best every single match.
“And that is how I’m going to approach this week here in Adelaide; that is how I’m going to approach the Australian Open.”
Despite her rise in the sport to become one of the most formidable players in the women’s game, Barty believes she still has a way to go to reach her maximum potential. So far in her career, she has won seven WTA titles with four of those occurring during the 2019 season.
“I want to be the complete tennis player,” she states.
“… The challenge is now to continue to try and improve as a tennis player and that’s all I can really ask of myself.
“It’s going to be small improvements but improvements nonetheless every single day.”
Barty, who has a bye in the first round, will start her Adelaide campaign against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
