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WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN

August 17, 2019

Ashleigh Barty

Cincinnati, Ohio

S. KUZNETSOVA/A. Barty

6-2, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. When you play somebody that you have never played before, especially a veteran like Svetlana who has been out here a long time, what's your preparation like going into that match? Do you talk to other players who have been on tour a while?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: Not necessarily other players, no. Yeah, I mean, obviously my coach and I sit down and we put together a game plan and try to do the best that we can.

There is obviously that initial period where you're kind of getting used to the ball, but that's what you use the five-minute warmup for. I think I have always done that pretty well over my career is try and adjust pretty quickly and get used to that ball straightaway.

But Sveta was incredible today. All credit to her. She put the ball in really difficult positions for me and was in control of the match from the get-go.

Q. Are there things on your game that you feel that you could have done particularly better?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, I think it probably started with the serve for me. I mean, giving Svetlana that many looks at second serves -- I mean, I know I'm not going to get free points off my first serve off Sveta. She's an incredible returner and retrieves a long way so is able to make a lot of returns.

Just to be on the back foot of a lot of rallies from the start wasn't ideal, but, yeah, I felt like we have done well to fight all week and then to put ourselves in this position, but, yeah, Sveta was unreal today.

Q. Semifinal appearance. Your take on the whole week as a whole.
ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, a week that we battled through. I think at times I played some good stuff. At times I played some pretty awful stuff.

But to be here in a semi, to give yourself another opportunity at the business end of a tournament is always a good thing. We have learned a lot from this week, and we have kind of nothing but positives going into New York.

Q. Obviously Svetlana, she came back from injuries and a kind of retirement, you kind of did similar things. How do you see her?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: Oh, our careers haven't been similar in any shape or form. Sveta is a champion, a legend of our sport. I know particularly from a lot of the Australians have absolutely nothing bad to say about her. She's good friends with a lot of the Aussies, good friends with a lot of the girls in the locker room.

She's someone I highly respect, have always respected for what she's done throughout her career. And also, just the person she is off the court speaks volumes about herself and her team. Really an incredible team.

Q. She's got three top 10 wins this week, playing great tennis. When she's playing as well as she is, as well as she's playing today, what is it exactly that she does that is just so difficult to kind of break through sometimes?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, I think she always plays particularly well during that U.S. series. She's always done well here. She's US Open champion.

The way she's able to put the ball in difficult positions for any opponent she plays, she's not a one-trick pony. I think she's able to problem-solve out on the court better than most.

Today she got off to a pretty poor start, but then was able to flip the switch right away and get back into patterns she can control and she liked. Yeah, it was hard for me to get out of them, and I couldn't really hurt her much today.

Q. In the past, Svetlana has described being versatile and creative as a burden. You yourself are also the same way. Do you understand what she's saying there?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, sometimes it is, but sometimes it's not. I think it's like any game style. The grass is always greener at times, and I think when -- I mean, a person like Sveta has so many options.

When she keeps it simple and really, you know, goes back to basics and does those well, that's when she's most effective. She can break up the flair when she really needs it. There were a couple of points today where I was just like, That's just too good.

Yeah, at times she was very simple and very basic of what she needed to do, and then other times, when she needed the flair, it was there.

Q. Are you going directly to New York?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: Via Winston-Salem. Playing an exhibition with Cori Gauff on Wednesday, which I'm really excited about. Yeah, we head to Winston-Salem and have a few practice days there and head to New York after.

Q. When you said she's excellent at problem-solving, did you have anything in the match today where you were feeling good and then all of a sudden, you're like, What just happened?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: A 2 and 4 scoreline shows how much she was in control and how dominant she was and how she was able to put the ball into positions where I couldn't hurt her. I think effectively that was it.

Yeah, I mean, there were parts of my game I would have loved to have done better, but that's the challenge it presents when you play such a champion and such a legend. Someone who is so smart on the court, they're able to take that away from you.

Q. As you look ahead to New York, are you a New York gal? Is it a city that jibes with you, that you get energy from, or is it a city that takes the energy from you and you kind of have to almost battle it back a little bit to focus on the tennis?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: A bit of both. I love New York. I have loved it since the first time I went there. I'm also pretty boring in a sense and don't get up to too much.

I love the city, but I don't go out walking 10, 20 kilometers a day having a look around. Certain days and off days and once we are done with the tournament I do, but a city that I love, I love spending time in Central Park. Yeah, certainly a place I enjoy going back to every year.

Q. Not too long ago you would have been described as the up-and-comer, a rising talent. Is it a little bit strange for you to be playing this exhibition against Cori Gauff where you are now being the established player, former No. 1, Grand Slam champion, you're cast in a totally different position?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: Actually makes me feel old. I'm just really excited. I don't know her as a person, so I'm excited to get to know her as a person over the next few days and obviously play a fun, exciting match on Wednesday.

Hopefully we can both bring our best. Yeah, kind of see how we go. I'm excited to hit some balls against her. I'm excited to get to know her. I have been amazed just how level-headed and mature she is. I think she's wise beyond her years. I think it's certainly an exciting period for her over the next, you could probably say 15 years of her career. It's amazing.

Q. Any advice for her?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: She certainly doesn't need any advice from me. She's doing just fine on her own.

Q. How are you doing with your graduation into the upper echelon of women's tennis? Are you comfortable?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, I mean, I'm comfortable in my own skin, comfortable with my team. And obviously when we play our best tennis, I think we can do damage in tournaments and be at the latter stages of tournaments, which is what we are after.

This week has been great. We have learned a lot. We still haven't played our best throughout the whole week, but we are here at the business end. I think that's the most exciting thing is we are learning and growing every week.

Q. Speaking of child prodigies, when we see young, up-and-coming players, we say, Oh, they are really talented, but do you think how talent matters to you? Do you think talent is overrated or...
ASHLEIGH BARTY: I think hard work is more important than talent. I think even though you see a lot of young girls now who are talented, they have put in the work. They have put in the hours, and they have earned every single win and they have earned every single accolade that's already on kind of their list I suppose of what they have achieved throughout their career. But talent will get you so far, but hard work will get you further.

Q. Do you see any player and say, Oh, she's really talented, a naturally talented player?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: Oh, I could name 15 or 20 that are exceptionally talented. Yeah, I think the ones that are already kind of progressing, I suppose, more through the ranks are those that work the hardest.

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