Ashleigh Barty: "To be number one guarantees no victories"
After the disappointing start to the season in Brisbane, number one in the WTA world rankings, Ash Barty , spoke up before their appearance at the WTA tournament in Adelaide. The 23-year-old said that she had little imagination of her place at the top of the world rankings and at the same time worked hard to improve her game further.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit: Jan 15, 2020, 12:01 pm
What a surprise that was last week at the women's opening tournament in Brisbane. Number one in the world and top favorite Ashleigh Barty was beaten in the first round of number 53 in the world, Jennifer Brady. Statistics show how rare a start defeat is for Barty: In her 15 appearances at tournaments in 2019, the Australian only had to surrender once in the first round.
Of course there were discussions about whether Barty could build on the strong performance of the past season. When she started for the second time in 2020, the 23-year-old then showed a significant improvement in shape and was able to bring Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova down in three sets. Ash Barty had previously spoken out to discuss her number one position in the world and upcoming tournaments.
Status as number one is irrelevant
"No matter what number is next to my name - and whether it's one, two, 10, 20, or 50 - it won't make me more or less hungry trying to be the best that I can be," said Barty. That is exactly what she and her team work towards every day. “A number next to the name does not guarantee anything - it does not guarantee victories. You still have to go out there and get the job done, ”Barty continued. This is exactly how the Australian wants to go to the tournament in Adelaide and then to the Australian Open.
"I want to be a complete tennis player. The challenge now is to continue doing everything I can to improve myself as a tennis player, because that's all I can really want. ”Ashleigh Barty will go to the Australian Open as the top seeded player. So far, the Australian had the greatest feeling at her home tournament at the quarter-finals. In the previous year she failed in the Czech Petra Kvitová. Her only triumph in a Grand Slam so far was at the French Open last season . At the Australian Open starting on January 20, the 23-year-old then wants to ensure a home win.