"Hopefully it's not too long until we see Peng Shuai back out here" - Ashleigh Barty

World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty spoke about Peng Shuai following her second-round win over Lucia Bronzetti at the 2022 Australian Open on Wednesday. The Aussie said that all the players on tour were concerned about the Chinese player's wellbeing and that she hoped to see Peng competing again soon.

"Yeah, I think the tennis community has come together. Obviously we're all looking out for her (Peng Shuai's) safety," Barty said. "We all hope that she's well. We hope that she's doing okay. Hopefully it's not too long until we see her back out here."

When asked whether something "sinister" had happened to Peng, the World No. 1 responded by saying she did not have enough information to answer the question.

"I've got no idea. Without the information, I can't answer that question," Barty asserted.

Peng Shuai was reported missing for 12 days after she made sexual assault allegations against Zhang Gaoli, China's former Vice Premier, on social media site Weibo. After a series of attempts were made to prove Shuai's safety, the WTA decided to pull all its events out of China indefinitely.

Following the saga, Peng herself spoke out to clarify her initial post on Weibo and confirm her whereabouts. The tennis community, however, are still concerned about her wellbeing and are unsure when she will return to the tour.

"I put a lot of emphasis on my serve" - Ashleigh Barty

Ashleigh Barty serves at the Tokyo Olympics

Following her straight-sets win in the second round of the Australian Open, Ashleigh Barty revealed that she has been working hard to mold her serve into an effective "weapon."

"I'm not the biggest girl out there, but I know I've got a sound technique and I know if I can get my rhythm right and use it effectively, it can be a weapon," Barty said. "I think Tyz (Craig Tyzzer) and I put a lot of emphasis on my serve, I always have as a kid. I was always serving baskets and baskets of serves to try to create that weapon, try to create a really sound shot. I think I've just been able to find some good rhythm and a big part of that is protecting my second serve when I need to do as well."

The Aussie opined that a good serve is not so much about power, but rather about placement and setting up the point favorably.

"I think for me it's serving to set up the next shot that I want. It's not always trying to hit it as hard as I can," she said. "Rarely am I redlining, hitting a serve as hard as I can. It's more about the placement, thinking about what kind of return I'm going to get to try to set up the rest of the point."

Barty will square off against hard-hitting Italian Camila Giorgi in the third round of the Melbourne Slam.