WTA Miami: Ash Barty secures first place - "doesn't have to prove anything to anyone"
Ash Barty remains number one in the women's tennis world after her triumph at the WTA Masters 1000 event in Miami. After the triumph in Florida, however, the Australian does not want to hear any proof of the legality of this standing.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit: Apr 04, 2021, 08:54 am
Hardly anything showed so well the problems that the COVID-19-related changes in the ranking system brought with it as the women's world rankings at the beginning of the calendar year 2021. At that time, Naomi Osaka was just having her second Grand Slam after a sovereign final victory over Jennifer Brady -Title won within a few months, but the Japanese was not ranked number one in the WTA charts even after that.
A somewhat curious situation, especially since the leader in the WTA ranking, the Australian Ashleigh Barty, had only just made her comeback at the Grand Slam Down Under after the 24-year-old had previously renounced it for over a year, heading from her home country of the various stops of the WTA touring circus.
Osaka missed leadership change
Well, in Miami, Naomi Osaka would have had the chance to oust the Australian from her place in the sun on the WTA charts. A project on which the world number two should fail after the Japanese had been somewhat surprising in the quarter-finals against the Greek Maria Sakkari. And Ash Barty? She could not be influenced by this starting position, presented herself in great shape after a fight victory in round one - and won the Miami title on Saturday evening in European time after Bianca Andreescu had to give up injured in set two.
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After winning the title, Ash Barty doesn't want to hear that this triumph is a kind of proof of the legitimacy of her leadership in the WTA world rankings: "I never have to prove anything to anyone. I know about the hard work I do and I know that there has been a lot of discussion about the ranking, but I didn't play last year and that didn't improve my points, "said the lady from Ipswich.
Of course she didn't lose any, but still: "The other women had the chance to improve their point account, so I felt that I really deserved my place at the top of the rankings. I'll go out and do my best, It doesn't matter what anyone says. So yeah, I never feel like I have to prove anything to anyone. "