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Q. You must be disappointed, but you must have learned a lot from watching Serena out there, as well.
ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, I don't think 'disappointed' is the right word. It was a fantastic experience for me. I think Serena really showed why she's one of the greatest champions of all time.

I mean, it was an absolute pleasure to be out there and have the chance to play against her.



Q. Did you get any messages from people who watched?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: I haven't even started to go through them yet. I'll probably leave that one till tomorrow morning.



Q. What struck you about playing her the most? Was it the power?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: I mean, she's just such a great champion. Just the presence she has on the court is unbelievable.

I mean, you really have to respect what she's done in her career. She's such a nice girl, as well, which makes it even better. I mean, it was just awesome to have the opportunity to play against her tonight.

I learned a few things. It's going to be a really good experience for me moving forward.



Q. Was it intimidating?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: No, I don't think so intimidating. She just has that presence on court that makes you want to probably push that little bit harder, gives you a bit of pressure.

But, no, it was a good experience. Yeah, I'm looking forward to watching the tape again and seeing what really happened.



Q. Serves were coming through 190K. How did you prepare for that? Was that the most concerning part of playing Serena?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, I don't think anything was really concerning about playing her. It was more an opportunity. We really embraced that.

I have a great hitting partner here in Melbourne, Daniel Burns. He does such a fantastic job with me. He was more than happy to help over the last couple of days in preparing.

I mean, Serena's got one of the greatest serves on tour. I think that goes a long way to why she's No. 1 in the world and a great champion.



Q. You mixed your shots up. Was that the game plan?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: I think that's my game. I like to use variety and mix it up. I had the intentions to go out there and continue to play my game, do the best that I can.

I think there's definitely areas that need improvement in my game. I think that, I mean, Serena is someone we can all look up to, to what she's done in her career.

Yeah, it was a really good match. A really positive match for me.



Q. Could you see yourself on Arthur Ashe Stadium at the US Open?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: That would be cool. It's an absolute privilege playing out on Rod Laver Arena. It's one of the greatest stadiums I ever played in. A night session the first night of the Australian Open is pretty special.

Hopefully one day I'll be playing out there when I'm not playing the first seed in the first round. But, yeah, I mean, it was unbelievable to be out there tonight.



Q. What is your earliest memory of Serena?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: I don't know actually. I mean, I didn't really start watching tennis until 2008 or '09. I mean, obviously a lot of pictures and things that I've seen. But yeah, I mean, I didn't really watch tennis a lot growing up. I don't really have memories of the more established players or the past players as well.



Q. You were playing, just not watching?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: As a kid, I was just playing in the backyard, going to coaching once or twice a week for probably three or four years. Yeah, I mean, I don't really have any interest in watching the sport. I love to play it. I spend enough time around the tennis courts. I like to chill out and do a few different things.



Q. Serena said she finds you appealing, she would like to see you do well. Did she say anything to you?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: I'd like to see myself doing well in the future as well.

After the match she said it was a great match, and I really can't wait to look back on it and watch the tape over and try to really learn a few things.

No.77-ranked Ashleigh Barty is through to the biggest final of her career after taking down Garbiñe Muguruza in three sets at the Aegon Classic Birmingham.

The No.6 seed Muguruza, a former Wimbledon finalist, bossed the first set but couldn’t contain the Aussie as she mounted her comeback to win 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.

“I think she played very well,” Muguruza said in her post-match press conference. “She was very smart with the slice, which I think is a difficult shot on the grass.

“Of course I'm disappointed because I thought, you know, I could do the same as the previous matches and get a victory. But I guess the other one played much better today.”

A strong serving performance gave Muguruza the edge in the opening set; she got 81% of her first serves in, firing off three aces and not allowing Barty a look at a break opportunity all set long.

But in the second it was all about Barty’s groundstrokes, as the Aussie honed in on Muguruza’s weakness with her tricky backhand slice.

She broke the Spaniard twice in the final two sets, putting together a daunting 5-1 lead in the decider. Muguruza dodged two match points and recovered one of the breaks to put Barty under pressure as the Aussie bid to reach the second final of her career and her first at the Premier level.

But Barty struck back straight away, breaking Muguruza again and sealing her spot into the Birmingham final after a tight hour and fifty minutes on court.

Barty, the first Australian to reach the final since Jenny Byrne in 1992, will take on the resurgent Petra Kvitova in the title match. The Czech player moved into the final after countrywoman Lucie Safarova was forced to retire due to injury.

“I don't think you can find any tennis player at all who isn't happy to see [Petra] back and genuinely pleased she's back on tour and being successful,” Barty said. “She's one of the nicest girls you'll ever meet, not just in the tennis world. So it's so nice to have her back out on the court.

“Obviously it's a big challenge for me tomorrow. She's won Wimbledon a couple of times and is amazing on grass court as well. So it's going to be a good battle for me.”

Ashleigh Barty zdobyła trzy punkty i poprowadziła Australijki do zwycięstwa nad Ukrainkami w Grupie Światowej II Pucharu Federacji. Włoszki pokonały Hiszpanki.

W Canberze Australia dopiero w deblu wygrała z grającą bez Eliny Switoliny Ukrainę. Rozczarowała Daria Gawriłowa, która doznała dwóch porażek. Nie zawiodła Ashleigh Barty, która wywalczyła trzy punkty. W niedzielę najpierw pokonała 6:2, 6:3 Martę Kostiuk, a następnie zapewniła swojej drużynie zwycięstwo wspólnie z Casey Dellacquą.
Rumunia łatwo poradziła sobie z Kanadą, a dwa punkty zdobyła Irina-Camelia Begu. Włoszki pokonały Hiszpanki, a bohaterką została Deborah Chiesa, która w czwartej grze pokonała 6:4, 2:6, 7:6(7) Larę Arruabarrenę. 21-letnia reprezentantka gospodarzy w III secie wróciła z 1:4, a w tie breaku obroniła piłkę meczową. Wcześniej, w starciu liderek obu ekip, Sara Errani wygrała 6:3, 3:6, 6:3 z Carlą Suarez.

REKLAMA

W Bratysławie Słowaczki rozprawiły się z Rosjankami. W niedzielę Jana Cepelova zastąpiła Magdalena Rybarikova i pokonała 6:4, 6:4 Natalię Wichliancewą. Zwycięstwo drużynie gospodarzy zapewniła Viktoria Kuzmova, która wygrała 3:6, 6:3, 6:4 z Anastazją Potapową.

W kwietniu Słowacja, Australia, Rumunia i Włochy powalczą o awans do Grupy Światowej. Rosja, Ukraina, Kanada i Hiszpania będą bronić się przed spadkiem do strefy kontynentalnej.

Słowacja - Rosja 4:1, AEGON Arena, Bratysława (Słowacja)
I runda Grupy Światowej II, kort twardy w hali
sobota-niedziela, 10-11 lutego

Gra 1.: Viktoria Kuzmova - Natalia Wichliancewa 4:6, 2:6
Gra 2.: Magdalena Rybarikova - Anna Kalinska 5:7, 6:3, 6:4
Gra 3.: Jana Cepelova - Natalia Wichliancewa 6:4, 6:4
Gra 4.: Viktoria Kuzmova - Anastazja Potapowa 3:6, 6:3, 6:4
Gra 5.: Jana Cepelova / Anna Karolina Schmiedlova - Anna Kalinska / Weronika Kudermetowa 6:3, 6:2

REKLAMA

Australia - Ukraina 3:2, Canberra Tennis Centre, Canberra (Australia)
I runda Grupy Światowej II, kort trawiasty
sobota-niedziela, 10-11 lutego

Gra 1.: Ashleigh Barty - Ludmiła Kiczenok 4:6, 6:1,6:4
Gra 2.: Daria Gawriłowa - Marta Kostiuk 6:7(3), 3:6
Gra 3.: Ashleigh Barty - Marta Kostiuk 6:2, 6:3
Gra 4.: Daria Gawriłowa - Nadia Kiczenok 6:4, 2:6, 3:6
Gra 5.: Ashleigh Barty / Casey Dellacqua - Ludmiła Kiczenok / Nadia Kiczenok 6:3, 6:4

Rumunia - Kanada 3:1, Sala Polivalenta, Kluż-Napoka (Rumunia)
I runda Grupy Światowej II, kort twardy w hali
sobota-niedziela, 10-11 lutego

Gra 1.: Sorana Cirstea - Carol Zhao 6:2, 6:2
Gra 2.: Irina-Camelia Begu - Bianca Andreescu 6:3, 6:7(4), 6:2
Gra 3.: Irina-Camelia Begu - Katherine Sebov 6:2, 6:4
Gra 4.: Sorana Cirstea - Bianca Andreescu nie rozgrywano
Gra 5.: Ana Bogdan / Raluca Olaru - Gabriela Dabrowski / Carol Zhao 6:4, 1:6, 6-10

Q&A: Craig Tyzzer gives us the lowdown on life as coach to Australian No.1 Ash Barty.
When Ash Barty speaks about her career, she uses collective terms such as “we” and “our”. The Australian No.1 recognises her achievements are a team effort, with coach Craig Tyzzer playing a pivotal role in her success.

The Melbourne-based Tyzzer, who won the Australian Tennis Award for High Performance Coaching Excellence in 2017, talked to Australian Tennis Magazine about his role.

ATM: How much of the year do you actually spend travelling?

CT: This year it will be 30 weeks if we complete our full scheduled year. That does not include training weeks that I do in Brisbane [where Barty lives].

What is the longest stretch away from home?

The longest stretch is the Europe swing, which started in Madrid in May and we will finish after Wimbledon in July. All up, it is about 11 or 12 weeks. It is difficult to get back to Australia through this period, so after the clay season we trained in London to get some practice on the grass and get ready for the upcoming tournaments.

When on tour, what tasks take the most time?

Probably opposition analysis. I generally watch two to three matches of upcoming opponents if I do not know them and one or two recent matches if I know them well.

What is the most under-recognised part of your role? Most people are surprised by how much time is spent in preparation to play matches.

Most of the general public only see players when they play matches and don’t realise the amount of preparation that has gone into just getting them out on court. On a general day before a tournament starts Ash could do anywhere from three-to-four hours of work to get ready. It could involve any or all of these aspects – conditioning, strength training, rehabilitation, body management, physiotherapy and massage – and that is before we even step on the court.

How much time do you spend scouting other players?

Other than being on court with Ash, it is the most time-consuming part of the job. As coaches we need to be fully aware of the opposition and all aspects of how they play the game. Each day I generally watch at least one player that I have not seen before.

REPORT: Barty takes tennis to the Top End

As a travelling coach, how much time do you spend with your player?

We are generally together every day when training or during tournament play. It can range from a shorter two-to-three hour day, to a longer four-to-five hour one.

What does the morning before a big match look like for a coach?

It is generally pretty relaxed, we try to keep it as normal as possible. Most of the work is done by then. We would start with a light warm-up for Ash on court, which is determined by when she is playing on the schedule. We will also generally go over the plan again for this match and also discuss if there have been any changes in conditions, such as weather- related ones that could change what tension in her racquets Ash would use, and any other last-minute details that I see relevant.

Does a coach’s role post-match depend on results?

As a team Ash and I have worked hard on treating both wins and losses as a learning experience, otherwise each week can become a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. In every tournament we play there is only one winner every week. We focus a lot on the process, as we feel this is the best way to keep progressing. We try to get something out of every match that she plays, which helps improvement regardless of the outcome. Having said that, I will also allow Ash to enjoy some of her better wins if only for a short period.

Are losses hard to deal with?

We do not treat losing as a negative; rather it is a learning process. Tennis is about facing losses and disappointment, then putting it in perspective.

Are you a supporter of on-court coaching?

I am not completely sold on the idea. Tennis players are taught from an early age about trying to figure out your opponent and the strengths and weaknesses of their game. I like the fact that it is just two players out there, going toe-to-toe and you have to figure out a way to win. It can also benefit certain players more than others, not all players are making the same money and may not have a coach on tour. Having said all that, it has at times certainly benefitted Ash that I could go on court and offer her some new tactics and a different perspective on the way a match is going.

How do you help a player achieve balance when they are travelling each week?

I think it is important to keep a good life balance, as the tour can be pretty demanding and tough. We try to get to as many interesting tourist spots that we can when we get the chance. Staying connected with our family and friends – even when we are away from them – is important, just to keep up with all the news that is happening at home. Sometimes it is good for Ash to have some time to herself to do whatever she wants.

How do you help a player adapt to the demands of travel and quick turnaround times for events?

This is probably one of the harder parts of the tour, as every week you head off to another tournament. Both players and coaches must be disciplined enough to maintain a routine that includes a proper balance of sleep, rest, good nutrition and body management.

What do you miss most when you are away from Australia?

My family. It is a massive sacrifice that my family makes to allow me to do my job.