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Ashleigh Barty won the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati by defeating Jil Teichmann 6-3, 6-1 in the final on Sunday. The Aussie's fifth title of the year has further consolidated her place as World No. 1; she now leads by over 3000 points at the top of the rankings.
Speaking at a press conference following her win, Barty revealed she is fully ready to participate and compete at the US Open. The 25-year-old didn't play in New York last year because of the pandemic, but is now "excited" to visit the city again.
"I love playing in New York. I love the vibe that's there. I love the city itself, I can't wait to get there," Barty said. "It's been a couple of years since we have been back in New York City. I'm excited to get there and do some of my favorite things outside of the tennis court. Certainly nice to get a few matches under my belt this week to feel like I'm ready to play in New York."
After missing the entire second half of 2020, Ashleigh Barty started her 2021 season with plenty of doubts around her form. But Barty answered all the questions emphatically by winning titles in Miami and Stuttgart, before lifting the Wimbledon trophy too.
On Sunday the Aussie gave due credit to her team for helping her stay in shape both physically and mentally, while also talking about how she's been able to navigate the "flat" periods of the season.
"I hoped (to come into the US Open at this level)," Barty said. "I really did hope, and I think that we have certainly had weeks where we have been more flat. We have had weeks where I have struggled physically, mentally. But that's normal. That all comes with being a professional athlete."
"I have said time and time again how lucky I am and how fortunate I am to have a great team of people around me," she added. "There have been times where they have needed to pick me up. There have been times where they have created this really light, fun environment for me to feel like I'm a kid again. And all in all, we know how to communicate with each and we know how to bring out the best in each other when it matters most."
"Post-Wimbledon I was completely depleted" - Ashleigh Barty
During the course of the press conference, Ashleigh Barty also touched upon what effect the triumph at Wimbledon had on her. The Aussie claimed she felt "numb" after fulfilling her lifelong dream, and that the feeling is yet to set in fully even now.
"Post-Wimbledon I was completely depleted," Barty said. "It was my biggest goal, my biggest dream was to win that one tournament, and it was almost after that I was just a bit numb and I didn't really know what to feel."
"I think I still have a bit of that now, but being able to again refresh and refocus and think we're moving to hardcourt season, it's a fresh kind of start, almost trying to segment that a bit more, but also not put pressure on myself, because past results guarantee nothing," she added. "It was my dream. I think kind of still not sure what I'm feeling now."
Ashleigh Barty further went on to assert that despite winning several big titles and Grand Slams, her aim remains to continue improving.
"We keep trying to get better every single day as a tennis player. If that means more titles, that's great. If it doesn't, it doesn't. That doesn't matter for me," Barty said. "I think being able to continually self-improve, not just as a person but as an athlete, as well, is still my biggest focus and priority."
"I feel like I am able to use my serve as a weapon" - Ashleigh Barty
Asleigh Barty defeated three Grand Slam champions - Victoria Azarenka, Angelique Kerber, and Barbora Krejcikova - on her way to the title in Cincinnati. Through each of those three matches, Barty was in almost complete control of her serve; the 25-year-old won a bunch of free points with that first shot, which helped her dictate proceedings easily.
On Sunday Barty acknowledged the role of the serve in her success, and revealed that she spends a lot of time practicing the shot. She also stressed on the importance of "structuring the point" with the help of the serve rather than merely hitting aces or unreturnables.
"Yeah, I put a lot of emphasis on my serve," Barty said. "I have since I was quite young. I always wanted to have a good serve, a serve that I could trust, both my first and my second serve."
"Even though I'm not the tallest girl out there, I feel like I'm able to use my serve as a weapon and then set up the structure of the points and how I want to play my tennis," she added. "I think that's always a big thing is not always getting free points off serve but then being able to set up the structure of the point and get it back on my terms and look for forehands. I think that's a big part of my game."
