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BRISBANE INTERNATIONAL

January 5, 2020

Ashleigh Barty

Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

THE MODERATOR: First question, please.

Q. What's it like to come back to what's essentially your home tournament as the best player in the world?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: Oh, it's incredible. It's incredible to be home. It's, I felt like my off-season and my pre-season went very quickly. We were up here training. So this is where I train every single day, and I think it's really nice to kind of shift back into tournament mode. But really looking forward to getting started in a couple days time.

Q. John Millman had a great win out here at Pat Rafter. He said that training here and being so used to the conditions, you feel like you can be, not unbeatable, but he feels like it really helps his game. Do you feel the same way playing here?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yes and no. I think no one's ever unbeatable. I think that's probably first and foremost. But, yeah, look, we, I don't train on the center court every day. Most of the time we're outside. The weather is too good here in Brisbane to be outside. It's nice to be outside. But then before a tournament, courts are resurfaced. They're done back to tournament specs. So I think it is a little bit different, but it's nice to be in a familiar setting. It's nice for me to stay at home and drive myself in and keep it very relaxed, which is really nice.

Q. It's our first chance to get your reaction to the draw. There's a potential matchup with a lot of big names on your side of the draw.
ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, well, I think first and foremost, all I have to worry about is my first round, my first opponent, and I know that they have to play. So I think that there's no point in me stressing about it right now. It's, I mean, probably still a couple days until they play. I'm not sure, but once they do they do get on the court, Tyz and I will sit down and chat about it, and it's like business as usual. It's preparation, like, nothing's changed. So I think that's just how we approach it.

Q. I was at your practice court yesterday back there and there was a lot of people milling around just watching you practice. Is that something that's changed here and maybe in other places around Australia and around the world that you've had to get used to?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: Well, what really brought a smile to my face yesterday was just how many kids were out there. You think, first off, qualifiers for the women's event and there are that many kids out there watching players practice, watching people play, that was, really brought a smile to my face. And that kind of flicked me into tournament mode, kind of the first thing is it's not just a normal practice day anymore. It's starting to prepare for the tournament and kind of change your shift and change your mind and kind of shift back into that tournament mode. So I think it's really exciting. It's, obviously, I get incredible support here in Brisbane and here in Australia, but all around the world. But it's very nice to be at home.

Q. Just with the Brisbane International overlapping the ATP Cup, there's a bit of a strange moment, just the first couple rounds and being on the outside courts, you're going to have big names at Pat Rafter Arena, is it a strange one? Is it something you hope is addressed in the future?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: Oh, I mean, I don't know if there are any issues. I don't think what -- I mean, I'm not quite sure what you mean what, needs to be addressed.

Q. Sam was saying it's a bit tough to be playing out in the outside courts where the guys are, they'll be playing in Pat Rafter and hope that, like, in the future, games could, from the get-go the Brisbane International could be played in the main stadium.
ASHLEIGH BARTY: Oh, I think that, obviously, it's a new event for the men, and yes, it coincides with the women's event. But at the moment, the women's event hasn't started for the main draw. The qualifying's usually on the outside courts and we're usually practicing on the outside courts anyway. So I actually don't think it really matters which court it is. The size of the court is the same. Obviously, it brings an opportunity for the public to see more players out in the practice courts out in those two show courts, and they're beautiful courts. Absolutely, I know that they have added some more seating into the stadium court to be able to accommodate more people to be able to watch on that show court 1. So I think that's really exciting from the public's point of view.

Q. I think you were out pretty early in this tournament in maybe 2018, and I think in the Hopman Cup last year, so how important is it for you to play well here this week in terms of just winning the tournament, but also, obviously, with the Grand Slam just around the corner?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: To be honest, I don't, it's not the be-all and end-all. It's not going to change the way that I prepare. In Adelaide it's not going to change the way that I prepare at the Australian Open. I know that I've done all of my work and all of my training well. I've done it to the best of my ability, and now it's about coming out there and competing. That's why we do all the hard work. It's why we put in all the hours, just to come out and enjoy the competition. And that's the challenge for me is to come out here, on my match day, when I do play, is to come out and enjoy it, soak up the crowd, soak up the fact that as Australians we get to spend the first month in Australia. It's really special. It's obviously an amazing time of year for us and I mean it doesn't really matter what the result is, it's more about me just going out there and giving it a crack and being the best that I can be.

Q. Djokovic has raised some concerns about air quality and floated the potential that the Australian Open, the start could be delayed if that's going to be a health issue for players. How does that make you feel as a player, and also, I guess, as the hometown hero?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: I'm definitely not a hometown hero. I think first and foremost, that the reason that there is smoke in the air is what's most devastating at the moment for our country. And I think, yeah, it's just a really tough time because it's, tennis is a sport. It's a game that we play, and there are certainly a lot of bigger things going on in Australia right now that we need to take care of. So, I mean, if it meant that we were delayed by a day or two, at the end of the day, it really doesn't matter. What matters is that Australians stay safe and we kind of sort out the bigger issues because it's a game that we play, it's a game that we love, yes, and we try and be the ultimate professionals and do everything that we can, but it is a game. So it's, yeah, you need to put things into perspective and worry about the bigger things in life first.

Q. Would you like to see a, similar to the ATP Cup, maybe a WTA Cup run the same way?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: Oh, I think you have to see how the ATP Cup goes. Obviously, it's, this is the first year. It's the first time an event like this has been played. But at the moment I'm very happy with playing a tournament in my hometown, in my backyard, and in a normal regular WTA tournament. So I have absolutely no complaints, but however the schedule goes, it will go, it's not a decision for me to make. I'll just kind of go with the flow and whatever happens, happens.

Q. To follow up on his question a bit. On the schedule, with the men taking over the stadium for the first, I guess, three days of the women's main draw play means all first round matches are going to be outside the main stadium, and probably half the second round matches too. I'm curious, have you requested a Thursday start to make sure you're starting on the stadium, and do you think that in the future this is something that could be addressed, that a women's first rounds aren't entirely outside the stadium in years to come?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: No, I haven't requested to play at any certain time or any certain day, I'll play when I'm asked to play and regardless I get to enjoy the public here, the fans here, it doesn't matter what court I play on, they're all the same. Yes, it's a little bit of a different setting around the outside, but it really doesn't matter. So I think I'll just play whenever I'm scheduled to play, I'll enjoy it, I'll compete and that's all that matters.

Q. How hard has it been to be able to focus on this pre-season in a very important segment of the year, I know how much you want to play well here in the Aussie summer, but with everything that's happening and the news, it's pretty hard to escape all that, so how have you been able to kind of manage that and in terms of, I mean, I know you are really into animals and stuff like that, but there's been a lot of devastation as well in terms of just the wildlife in this country and everything and just your thoughts on all that.
ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, it's been really terrible, it really has, I think for me this started two or three months ago. We have to remember, this has been going on for a long time across our whole country. And the first I saw of it was actually flying home from the Fed Cup final from Perth back to the east coast of Australia and we could see some of the smoke and some of the fires from the plane, so that really hit home with me. And, yeah, it was actually one of the first stops that I made in my off season was Gary and I went down to a local RSPCA near where I am, one of the bigger locations and we decided, that early in November, it was, we were in a position where we could donate and fund raise a little bit, so it was an opportunity for us to donate just over, a touch over $30,000 worth of funds and different bits and pieces to the RSPCA which they desperately needed at those times in early November. And obviously the worst of it is still out there at the moment, it's been going on for two months. But to be able to do that and just donate that little bit and just kind of do our part to help has been incredible and, yeah, and obviously now that it's not just moved from the wildlife, obviously wildlife have lost lives and lost homes, but it's also affected Australians with their lives and their homes. It's been really nice and we have been kind of sitting down and thinking and with my team, with my family and everything and trying to think of ways that we can help. Obviously there have been some really great initiatives from cricketers, tennis players, golfers, soccer players, all over the country people trying to help out and I think as well we have come to the decision that any of my prize money here in Brisbane will be donated to the Red Cross to go towards the families and homes that have been affected. And now I've been able to give a little bit to the wildlife and to the people as well and it's been really, really special.

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