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US OPEN

August 30, 2019

Ashleigh Barty

New York, NY, USA

A. BARTY/M. Sakkari

6-1, 4-6, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You were looking for an improvement every match. Do you feel you got that today?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, I think overall today there were parts of the match I was really happy with. Singles, we're talking here.

Yeah, I feel like a few of the things that I've been lacking over the last month kind of came together a little bit today. I felt like I served a lot better, controlled the ball off the first strike more often than not. In the bigger moments, I felt like there was some better stuff there.

Q. Every slam, the last half dozen, you have either gone to a higher level or had new milestones. How important is it to keep doing that?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: Oh, that's what we aim for, it's what we strive to do, is to try and do the best we can every tournament. Particularly at slams, to make that a bit of a focus point, to try to be ready, to try and make sure that I'm giving myself the best chance to go deep in the slams.

Really happy to be into another second week.

Q. You were playing at the same time as Roger Federer. The two of you have probably the best two backhand slices in tennis.
ASHLEIGH BARTY: He does. I don't (smiling).

Q. What makes that shot so difficult for opponents? How is it that you developed your ability to slice the ball?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: I think on the women's side, it's just rare. There aren't too many girls that have a slice backhand. It was something that I learnt when I was seven or eight years old. My coach, Jim, taught it to me. It wasn't perfect. It wasn't anywhere near even looking like a slice backhand at the start. We kept chipping away. I kept trusting in him that he knew what he was doing.

It's a shot I love to hit now, a shot that I feel like I can back myself more times than not, that I can trust it and put the ball wherever I want with it.

Q. Your next opponent is Wang Qiang. What do you make of her match, her play?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: I didn't see her match today. Obviously very tough competitor, moves extremely well. When the ball is in her strike zone, she can go both ways, cross and line off both wings.

I think it's going to be an incredibly physical match, a match where I need to make sure that I serve well and bring variety in as much as I can.

Q. Obviously you have had a lot of success playing against Chinese players. Why are you such a tough player for them?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: I mean, I like to think I'm tough for anyone to play (smiling), not just Chinese players. I mean, I didn't really know my record against Chinese players. It's just another challenge.

I go out there on - what day is it - Sunday and try to do the best that I can, try and put the ball in areas where I'm more comfortable than she is.

Q. Did you get a chance to see any of Taylor's win over Simona? A hundred net approaches.
ASHLEIGH BARTY: 106 or something, wasn't it?

Q. Served and volleyed a ton to beat her. Did you get to see it at all? What do you make of her and McNally? We're seeing it a lot more on the women's side with the young players.
ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, I didn't see any of Caty and Serena. I didn't get to see any of that match.

I saw probably end of the second and early, mid of the third set of Taylor and Sim. I think the way that she approached that match was fearless. She took risks that were calculated risks, but I think she knew she had to take them.

The way she smothered the net and was able to control the ball to where Sim had to pass and where she was a little bit handcuffed was really impressive.

I've known Taylor a long time. Played with and against her. She's always had that ability. It was really nice to see.

Q. Some fans might have got ahead of themselves at Wimbledon, thinking towards your prospective quarterfinal with Serena. With a quality opponent in front of you, you're probably only looking at your next match?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: I only ever look at my next match.

Q. Did it take awhile to adjust physically and mentally, to get back on track, after Roland Garros?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, yeah, I think it did. I had two weeks off completely after Wimbledon knowing I would probably come into Toronto and Cincinnati a little bit underdone. But it was more important that I rest and give myself a chance to recover both mentally and physically, then knowing we still had enough time to kind of be ready for this week here in New York.

Obviously we tried as best as we could to do well in Toronto or Cincinnati, but weren't really too stressed either way.

Bigger picture, knowing we had those two weeks off of resting and recovering, just really enjoying time with my family. That European stint for us Aussies is a tough one. We're away for three months. There's no real opportunity to head back home in between the two slams.

Yeah, I mean, I feel like every day I've been getting better and better. I still feel great. There's a few big months left in the season. We're looking forward to it.

Q. Which is closer to the truth of kind of how you make that decision to take that break, hang it up for a little bit, for two weeks? Is it that I need to do this right now, take a mental and physical break, if that impacts US Open, so be it, or is it that it's not going to impact you as much, you'll be fine when it comes to the Open and the rest of the season?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, I think it's important to prioritize weeks. It's important to make sure you have rest weeks. But I think it's also important to be a little bit flexible. You never really know what's around the corner with tennis. That's the beauty of our sport, is anything can change so quickly, day-to-day it can change.

Yeah, I certainly don't hesitate in taking a week off. I do it often throughout the year, just complete racquets down, don't kind of chat to my team. I just go and refresh and get away from everyone. I know when I come back, I'll be better for it.

Yes, it may take two or three extra days, but it's not going to take two or three extra weeks, so it's not something I have to stress about.

Q. In the next round, you have a rematch of the Zhuhai final. I think it was the biggest title of your career at the time. How did it set you up?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: That was the most magical way to end my season last year. It was incredible. I remember I started the final very well. The courts in Zhuhai are very similar to those in Brisbane. I think it was the same architect that actually built them with the roof and everything. I think for me it kind of had a sense of home, a very familiar setting, a very familiar court.

An incredible match from both of us. It was high quality, a good level. The circumstances here are a little bit different now. Obviously different conditions, different balls.

I mean, it's hard to take too much from that match. We'll take bits and pieces, both the things we did well and things that we can do better, then try and do that as best we can on Sunday.

Q. Slice is such a stylish shot to look at. What does it feel like when you're hitting that shot well? Do you need to be hitting that shot at your best in order to win this tournament?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: Oh, I think when I'm hitting it well, it feels great. When I dump a few, like I did today, it feels awful.

Yeah, I certainly don't middle every single one. It's still a shot I practice. It's just a part of my game. Regardless of whether I'm going to win this tournament or not, it's a part of my game that I bring into every match.

So I think, I mean, if I didn't have one, I wouldn't use it. Because I have one, I like to use it as much as I can.

Against some girls, I'll use it more. Against other girls, I'll use it less. And I just try and use it as best as I can.

Q. When you say 'racquets down' for a week or two, are the racquets away?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah.

Q. Or do you have them around your house (indiscernible)?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: God, no. I picked up a racquet that had been strung at Wimbledon. It had been I think 17 days since it had been strung. I was like, That will do, I'll just use it. Should be right.

Yeah, no, they're away, locked away for good.

Q. Australia has given us some of the best tennis nicknames, like Rocket. What is yours?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: Ash. That's literally it. That's all I get. I mean, cricket I got a few good ones. No, it's just Ash, nice and simple.

Q. What is one in cricket?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: I'm not going to tell you (smiling). I like Ash.

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