Ashleigh Barty (Ipswich, Australia; 25 years old) does not have a great media projection. It doesn’t make big announcements. He very rarely grants an interview. And he doesn’t make noise through social networks or say one word louder than another at press conferences. However, no one generates greater unanimity. There is no player more feared or more dominant than her, respected like no other in the locker room and recognized by the rest of the players as the best, the most complete, surely the most difficult to beat. Like the undisputed number one these days. Barty is, in essence, tennis. No tricks or extras. Pure tennis.
“I was never the tallest or the most powerful when I was a teenager, but I found different ways to win matches. I had to use more tools than the rest to cover my deficiencies. And now, as I have gained power, I have learned to select when I should play one way or another, as needed. You must be aware of the weak points of your rivals and take advantage of it, ”said the Australian this week, who today rules the circuit with an iron hand, but could well be hitting the cricket stick because when things did not finish going with the racket, at the age of 18, made a long parenthesis.
Suffocated by the demands of an eroding sport, she considered quitting. She won junior Wimbledon at the age of 15, but the overload of expectations melted her and she stopped playing for 17 months between 2014 and 2015. In the end she continued and, as if she had calculated it, she was stealthily gaining ground and imposing herself on other players with greater impact commercial until reaching the top, overtaking the towers that predominate in the circuit to the right –she measures 1.66, well below the average of the current physiognomic pattern– and differentiating herself thanks to her intelligence, technique and strategic depth.
On October 18, Barty entered the centenarian club, of those players who have defended the number one for more than 100 weeks. There are only eight: Steffi Graf (377), Martina Navratilova (332), Serena Williams (319), Chris Evert (260), Martina Hingis (209), Monica Seles (178), Justine Henin (117) and her (110) . The Australian – champion of Roland Garros (2019) and Wimbledon (2021), with 14 individual trophies and 12 doubles in the elite – has closed the course at the top of the classification for three consecutive years, something that only Evert had achieved (from 1975 to 1977), Navratilova (from 82 to 84), Graf (from 87 to 89) and Serena (2013-2015).
30% more child licenses
However, with a long way yet to go, Barty’s legacy transcends titles or numbers due to the impact he has on tennis in his country. Originally from the state of Queensland (in the northeast of the country) and with aboriginal roots – her father belongs to the Ngarigo community – the queen of the circuit always wanted to be like Evone Goolagong, the figure (also an aboriginal, from a Wiradjuri family) who won big seven during the ’70s. Now, she’s the inspiration.
According to the Australian newspaper The Age, the discreet rise of Barty has made children from indigenous communities prefer tennis, instead of other sports such as football or rugby. “It has a magnetism that boys and girls admire”, transmits the aforementioned newspaper, which in turn highlights that more than one and a half million Australians played tennis during the last year and that children’s licenses increased by 30%, high attributed to the hegemony of the number one.
“I’m just trying to be myself,” says the tennis player. “And if I’m able to make those kids enjoy and get attention for our sport, it’s exciting for me,” adds Barty, a guarantee between the ups and downs of the women’s circuit and the antithesis of the inconsistency and fragility offered by other WTA stars. , slippery territory and in which, Serena Williams aside, nobody really claimed the reins until the Australian appeared.
1978, the last Australian
Now she has an important challenge before her: to become the first local woman to win the Australian Open since Chris O’Neil in 1978. So far, she has only given up eight games in the first three matches – against Tsurenko (1) , Bronzetti (2) and Giorgi (5)– and links 58 in a row without having the serve snatched; He has not lost it since January 5, during the second round of the Adelaide tournament, against Coco Gauff.
“It’s a show, there’s no backhand cut better than Ashleigh’s”, praises Paula Badosa. “He has tons of records,” adds Scotsman Andy Murray. “Your forecast was that I would face Osaka [iba por su lado del cuadro, ya eliminada], but mine was that it was what it had to be. I would have loved to play against Naomi, because I would like to challenge myself and fight against the best, but Anisimova [su rival de hoy, 9.00, Eurosport] he is doing a fantastic tournament”, warns the oceanic, who is not the highest nor the most followed, but the best. Simply Barty.
On the other hand, Roberto Bautista brushed the comeback against Taylor Fritz this Saturday, but the Castellón native fell short and said goodbye after falling 6-0, 3-6, 3-6, 6-4 and 6-3, in 3h 14m . The American will face Stefanos Tsitsipas (6-3, 7-5. 6-7(2) and 6-4 Benoit Paire). Pablo Andújar from Cuenca could not beat the local Alex de Miñaur (6-4, 6-4 and 6-2), while the Russian Daniil Medvedev is still going strong: 6-4, 6-4 and 6-2 against Botic van de Zandschulp.
This morning Paula Badosa (1.00, Eurosport, against Madison Keys) and Rafael Nadal (not before 4.00, Adrian Mannarino) will compete in the round of 16, and around 11.00 the Asturian Pablo Carreño will intervene, summoned with Matteo Berrettini.
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