Barty, Ashleigh

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      A Relaxed Ash Barty Is Still No. 1

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      She stepped away from the game and came back stronger, winning four tournaments this year, including Wimbledon.In a year when mental health has often been a headline in sports, it is fitting that Ash Barty of Australia is the No. 1 women’s player in the world. Barty had the self-awareness to walk away from tennis for more than a year in 2014 to seek a more normal existence (though she also took up professional cricket).In 2019, when she stumbled at Wimbledon, losing in the fourth round, she took a few weeks to return home and rejuvenate. And after staying off the tour for nearly a year during the pandemic, she has won four titles this year, including Wimbledon.Barty discussed her approach to tennis and life as she prepared for the United States Open. The following interview has been edited and condensed.Are you someone who has always gone your own way?I grew up with values from my mom and dad that you make the right decisions for the right reasons, and they are not dependent on tennis. When I do that, regardless of what that means for my tennis, I’m a happy person. Certainly, you can’t please everyone, but that’s all I need to do.Do you get frustrated when people attack Naomi Osaka or Simone Biles for making decisions based on their mental health?I haven’t followed those stories too closely, but based on the headlines, I hope that they are making the right decisions for the right reasons. It shouldn’t matter to Simone and Naomi what the rest of the world thinks.Barty serving to Angelique Kerber during the semifinals of the Western & Southern Open on Aug. 21 in Mason, Ohio. She went on to win the tournament.Matthew Stockman/Getty ImagesIn 2019, after reaching No. 1, you fell at Wimbledon, took three weeks off and then fell in the second round of your next tournament. Did you feel pressure as the new No. 1?It was really exciting — this was something I’d worked towards. It certainly didn’t add any pressure, if anything it took it off because I had absolutely nothing to prove to anyone.After Wimbledon, it was really important for me to go home and take stock. I arrived in the U.S. knowing I was probably not going to be playing my best tennis in some of those tournaments. But I had a solid end of the year. [Barty reached the finals of the China Open and won the year-end WTA Finals.]This year, was it easy to find your footing right away?I just take each week as it comes. Each match is an opportunity to do the best that I can on that given day. Whether that’s a win or loss is quite irrelevant. It’s more about going out there with the right attitude regardless of the result.As an athlete you need to be able to separate and not place your self-worth on those wins and losses — that’s certainly a false way to determine whether you’ve had a successful career. It’s more about the way you go about it and how much you enjoy that journey.Were you confident before Wimbledon or worried about lingering injuries?I always trust in my tennis. If I play well, I’ll be very hard to beat. But at Wimbledon, my team and I had no idea how my body was going to respond, so we were on edge. I would wake up each morning to see if I felt all right. Getting through the tournament physically was massive, so I was able to relax and play some of my best tennis when it mattered most.The U.S. Open has proved your biggest challenge. You’ve never gotten past the fourth round. Is there a specific challenge to playing there for you?I love playing in New York, and I love the conditions. Making the fourth round a couple of years in a row is not terrible — being in the second week of a Slam is where you want to be — and I’ve lost to some quality opponents. We just keep chipping away. I just go there and try to put my best foot forward. More

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      With Wimbledon Win, Ashleigh Barty Continues Mentor’s Work

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      The top women’s player has long felt a deep connection with fellow Indigenous Australian Evonne Goolagong Cawley, who won her first Wimbledon singles title in 1971.WIMBLEDON, England — Long before Ashleigh Barty became a Wimbledon champion, Evonne Goolagong Cawley believed Barty could be a Wimbledon champion. More

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      Ashleigh Barty Wins Wimbledon Women’s Singles Title

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      The world No. 1 and tournament favorite fended off Karolina Pliskova in three sets to win her first Wimbledon championship.Ashleigh Barty won her first Wimbledon singles title Saturday, beating Karolina Pliskova, 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-3.Barty is the No. 1-ranked player in the world and was the top seed at Wimbledon but she was hardly considered a runaway favorite at Wimbledon, a tournament she has never won. Just last month, Barty had to retire in the middle of her second round match at the French Open with an injury to her left hip.She did not play a warm-up event on grass ahead of Wimbledon but reeled off six straight wins at the All England Club without dropping a set on her way to the final. Barty is the first Australian woman to win the Wimbledon singles title since Evonne Goolagong Cawley won the title in 1980.Barty idolizes Goolagong Cawley and paid tribute to her throughout this year’s tournament by wearing a version of Goolagong Cawley’s scallop-hemmed dress.Barty chose not to play in 2020 when tennis resumed in August, remaining instead in Australia. She returned to the sport in January for a tuneup event ahead of the Australian Open but lost in the quarterfinal of the her country’s championship.Since then, she has had a standout year, even with her injury in France, and especially considering that because of Australia’s strict quarantine requirements, she has not been home since March. Barty will not head home until at least after the United States Open in September.In beating Pliskova, Barty knocked off a two-time Grand Slam finalist whose own success at Wimbledon was perhaps even more surprising than Barty’s. Pliskova, who was seeded eighth, had lost three of her last four matches ahead of Wimbledon and suffered a humiliating 6-0, 6-0 loss to Iga Swiatek of Poland at the Italian Open in May. More

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      It’s Ashleigh Barty vs. Karolina Pliskova in Wimbledon Final

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      Barty, the women’s world No. 1, is aiming for her first Wimbledon singles title and will take on a former No. 1 who is chasing her first Grand Slam title.WIMBLEDON, England — Centre Court is back to full capacity as England gradually relaxes its pandemic restrictions. The fans merrily quaffing Pimm’s in their expensive seats certainly got two very different matches for their money on Thursday. More

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      At Wimbledon, the Women’s Final Four Is Set

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      No. 8 seed Karolina Pliskova will face No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka, and No. 1 Ashleigh Barty will play No. 25 Angelique Kerber on Thursday, for a chance to make the women’s singles final at Wimbledon.WIMBLEDON, England — Karolina Pliskova, the only woman to reach this year’s Wimbledon semifinals without dropping a set, is learning to appreciate what she’s done, rather than dwelling on what she hasn’t. More

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      At Wimbledon One Final Day of Rest, and One Last Manic Monday

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      Starting in 2022, the tournament will eliminate its traditional “middle Sunday” off and instead spread fourth-round matches across Sunday and Monday.WIMBLEDON, England — Wimbledon paused midtournament for the last time on Sunday. The practice courts were busy, but as usual no fans were admitted to the grounds and no official matches were played despite the rare presence of sunshine. More

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      At Wimbledon, Ashleigh Barty Pays Tribute to a Forebear

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      Barty, the top women’s seed at Wimbledon, asked her apparel sponsor to design an outfit that paid tribute to Evonne Goolagong Cawley, the first Indigenous Australian woman to win the tournament.WIMBLEDON, England — As the top-seeded Ashleigh Barty looked forward to Wimbledon this year, she also looked back half a century. To another Indigenous woman from Australia. To a groundbreaking Wimbledon title. And, ultimately, to a hemline. More