“I’ve Never Quite Felt 100% Comfortable”: Ashleigh Barty Opens Up on Her Preparations for US Open 2021

Over recent years, Australia’s World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty has impressed with her performances. The consistency in her game speaks volumes of her greatness. However, there is a lot of work involved behind the scenes that are key in helping the 25-year-old become the player she is today. 

However, Ashleigh Barty has not played much tennis on the hardcourts. She last played in Miami, when she ended up winning the title, beating Bianca Andreescu in the final. Since then, she has competed on the clay and grass courts. She intends to improve her performances with each game passing by. 

Tennis – Wimbledon – All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain – July 10, 2021 Australia’s Ashleigh Barty celebrates with the trophy after winning her final match against Czech Republic’s Karolina Pliskova Pool via REUTERS/Mike Hewitt

The World No. 1 spoke on this and stated, “I’m looking forward to now changing back to hard courts and trying to find some rhythm and some groove. It feels like a long time since I’ve played on hard courts. Miami (March) was my last hard court tournament, and the conditions there are vastly different from here. It’s going to take some time to adjust, without a doubt. But we’ll just keep chipping away and try and get the best chance in each and every match.

Ashleigh Barty struggles on US hardcourts 

Over the years, Barty has never felt at ease on the US hardcourts. However, she does like to enjoy the moment and atmosphere in New York. She is eager to get her US Open Series campaign going.  

Tennis – Wimbledon – All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain – July 8, 2021 Australia’s Ashleigh Barty waves after winning her semi final match against Germany’s Angelique Kerber REUTERS/Paul Childs

The Wimbledon Championships winner further added, “This is a place where I’ve never quite felt 100 percent comfortable. But we’ve got New York right around the corner. This period of the year is always an enjoyable one, I can’t wait to get started back into some matches again.”

Now that the focus is on the last Grand Slam event of the season, it will be interesting to see who emerges on top. We wish the Australian star all best for the upcoming matches and the remainder of the season. 

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