"After that, Ash was big pain in the a** for everyone" - Daria Kasatkina reacts to Ashleigh Barty's "rock bottom" loss at Wimbledon 2018

Daria Kasatkina has jokingly taken credit for Ashleigh Barty's stunning transformation after defeating the now-retired player in the third round of the 2018 Wimbledon Championships.

In her 2022-released autobiography My Dream Time, the three-time Grand Slam champion revealed that she hit rock bottom when she lost that match against the Russian. Despite leading 4-1 in the first set, Barty lost the match 7-5, 6-3. An on-court outburst towards her team and coach Craig Tyzzer forced her to hire mental coach Ben Crowe.

“The issue is that my good is great, but my bad is horrible. When I’m winning, I look like a million bucks but when my tactics aren’t working, I lack the maturity to solve my own problems," Barty wrote in her memoir. "I’m a 22-year-old highly trained professional athlete, but in this moment I decide on a public tantrum.

"Not just at losing the match and losing my sh*t, but losing my dignity too. I shun my closest supporters and cry myself to sleep that night, embarrassed and ashamed.”

Barty retired in March last year. World No. 8 Kasatkina, currently in Abu Dhabi for the WTA 500 tournament, recently shared her thoughts on the match, stating that she understood why Barty reacted in a certain way. The 25-year-old Russian then joked that tennis fans should thank her for playing a part in Barty's transformation.

"I remember that match and I would have had the same attitude because I had like seven or eight net cords on deuce or breakpoints or 30-all," Kasatkina said. "So I know how she was feeling. It was a good match but luck was on my side on that day. I understand what she means. Everyone can say thanks to me because after that, Ash was the big pain in the a** for everyone. It's me."

The journalist who posted Daria Kasatkina's video inserted Taylor Swift's song It's Me from the Midnights album as soon as the tennis player said, "It's me." Kasatkina shared the clip, saying:

"That's exactly the song I was thinking about."

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Daria Kasatkina to face Jil Teichmann at Abu Dhabi Open

Daria Kasatkina is the World No. 8

Daria Kasatkina will take on 28th-ranked Jil Teichmann of Switzerland in the second round of the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open on February 9. The Russian is the top seed at the WTA 500 event and has thus received a bye into the second round.

This will be the third time the two players will face off on the tour, with Kasatkina winning the previous two matches in straight sets.

In her first match at the ongoing Abu Dhabi tournament, Teichmann beat Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska 6-3, 7-6(5).