	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

CHINA OPEN

October 1, 2019

Ashleigh Barty

Beijing, China

A. BARTY/Y. Putintseva

6-4, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Can you describe how you think the match went today.
ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, I think there are times where it was pretty good and there were times where it was challenging. Overall pretty happy with how it went today, how we were able to get on a roll in the second set a little bit there.

Q. Once you got back on the practice court after your calf injury, how did it feel? Did you train any differently to prepare for the tournament?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, we had a couple light days. We didn't really test it until today. I didn't play any points or anything, practice any points, simulation until today. I think it was about going back out there and knowing we've done everything we could, trusting it.

Yeah, felt really good, so all positive.

Q. You said you were kind of unfamiliar with how the conditions would be here. I know lots of players are talking about Wuhan last week is almost kind of like a hard court version of Wimbledon. I'm not sure if you feel it that way. There's some similarities. How was it coming here and how did you feel it was different and how did you adjust?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, I think here court to court it changes as well. I think having played on some of the outside courts, the practice courts are obviously always a little bit different to match courts, but even some of the outside match courts play very differently to how that court did today.

They're pretty slow. I think the balls are a bit heavier. They're pretty receptive and reactive on the court. You get rewarded for good depth and good shots. I think it will also change a lot day to night, different times of the day.

I think it's a court that can play very, very differently.

Q. Is it one that suits you? When you say it's reactive, you like that, right?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, at times I do (smiling).

I think, yeah, you get value for shots. You have to work hard, you have to be patient, wait for the right ball. It's a court that I think is tough to neutralize and play defense over a long period.

There are times where you have to, of course, like any court. But I think it's definitely a court that you get your bang for buck and you get value when you try to take the initiative.

Q. Knowing that Shenzhen now is three weeks away as opposed to the past Singapore would have been basically two weeks away from now, does that play into at all how you approach this week, knowing you have a bit of a niggle, knowing you will have a little bit more time to recover and prepare?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: Not really, no, because I've never played singles in finals before. Obviously doubles preparation is a little bit different. Both years in the past, I had kind of been preparing for singles in Zhuhai knowing we were going to be playing doubles.

Really it's much the same for me. I have a pretty quiet week next week at home. Yeah, knowing we have plenty of time, I have no restrictions for this week. I play until whenever. Then we go home and rest and recover, kind of refresh from there.

Q. Now getting one match in here in Beijing, obviously everything in Wuhan, where do you sense your game is right now? How confident are you? Where do you feel it is right now?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: I feel like you ask me that every second week, Courtney (laughter).

Yeah, no, I think every week there are different challenges. I think having not played here a lot before, it's a bit of a new, refreshing kind of challenge. It's all new to me. It's all for the first time.

I think I just take it in my stride and try to do the best that I can every day. Yeah, I mean, we'll see what we get tomorrow. It was solid today without being fantastic, but it was what we needed to do today. I think that's the most important thing, is that I've given myself a chance now to play another match and to test myself again to see where I'm at.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297