Ash Barty might be sitting at the top of the WTA rankings but she is well aware of the threats coming from her rivals ahead of her return to the Tour.
The reigning Wimbledon champion will begin her 2022 season at the Adelaide International this week in what will be her first tournament since the US Open in September. She opted to end her 2021 season early and not play at the WTA Finals due to the current travel restrictions which posed a threat to her off-season training schedule. Instead, she has been based in her native Australia tuning up her game.
“I love to try to get better each and every day,” Barty said during her pre-tournament press conference on Monday.
“I’m excited now to try and bring it all together as best that I can and understand in the next couple of weeks I’ll have to be patient with myself.
“It has been a while since I’ve played a competitive match, but I feel good, I feel ready.”
Last year Barty won a Tour-leading five titles and was named WTA Player of the Year for the second time in her career. Overall, she produced a win-loss record of 42-8. However, 2021 wasn’t entirely plain sailing. Barty failed to reach the second week in two of the four Grand Slam events and suffered a shock first round loss at the Tokyo Olympic Games.
The women’s Tour is renowned for its inconsistency with all four of the Grand Slam titles in 2021 being won by different players. The most recent being Emma Raducanu who became the first qualifier in history to win a major title at the age of just 18.
“There’s fresh challengers every year regardless of who is what spot on the ranking list,” Barty commented.
“There are certainly a number of breakout years through 2021, girls really stepped up, were able to play really consistent seasons which is exciting to see for the women’s game.”
Whilst some have criticised the WTA Tour for its unpredictable results, Barty argues that it is a true testament to the level of tennis there is on the Tour.
“You have obviously seen those girls that have been at the top for a very long time. Some had a rough run with injury, others had pretty solid years,” she continues.
“It feels like it’s just good competition. Genuinely there is really good depth and you have to bring your best time and time again to be able to compete with everyone and give yourself a chance to win the big titles.”
As for the 25-year-old, she hopes that her decision to have a longer off-season will pay off when it comes to the Australian Open. Barty is bidding to become the first Australian woman to win the title since Evonne Goolagong Cawley in 1980. However, she is yet to play in a final but did reach the semi-finals in 2020.
“Time and time again I want to try and be a complete player. I want to try and make sure there are no holes in my game,” she explains. “We (my team) just continue to do the work.”
Granted a bye in the first round, Barty will begin her campaign in Adelaide against either qualifier Ulrikke Eikeri or Coco Gauff.
