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AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 19, 2020

Ashleigh Barty

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What's the overriding feeling walking into Melbourne Park this year?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: Excitement. I think first and foremost it's been obviously an exciting 12 months since the last time I sat here. It's been a really nice couple weeks leading up to the Australian Open.

Obviously coming back to Melbourne, I have really good memories from last year. So excited to get started tomorrow night.

Q. Winning the title on home soil, first time you've done that, what does that mean for you? How does that affect your preparation here?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: Obviously it's the perfect preparation. But regardless of whether I won the title or not last week, I feel like I'm well-prepared.

I'm happy, I'm healthy. I'm coming into the first Grand Slam of the year with a smile on my face. That's all I can ask of myself.

Really special to be able to have won a title last week, my first on Australian soil. Third time lucky is a charm as well.

Q. I see your face and your name in all the local papers. Your face is everywhere around the city. How do you deal with that pressure? What can you do to lessen it on yourself a little bit?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, my face is everywhere a little bit, isn't it? I'm a bit sick of it to be honest (laughter).

There's no extra pressure. I don't read the papers. I don't kind of look into any more than I need to. I'm here with my team trying to do the best that we can. It's amazing to have so much support and so much love from the Australian public. I've really felt that in an exceptional way over the last 12 months. It's been incredible.

Just pretty excited to get started tomorrow night.

Q. There's only two weeks to start the season before the AO. Players do quite different things with their preparation. A lot of the top players don't like to play the week before a major. Had you gone deep in Brisbane, would you have played in Adelaide? What is the decision you like to play typically the two weeks leading up into the AO?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: I think for me last year having played the Hopman Cup, I felt like I got matches there. Still went to Sydney and played well. I think the week before the Australian Open the last two or three years has been kind of a happy hunting ground for me.

I'm trying to make the most of an opportunity to play in Australia. I love playing in Australia. I love playing in front of the Australian public. For me, it wouldn't really make sense not to make the most of that. I have a month in Australia. I want to do the best that I can in that period.

Q. How close were you to your best level last week?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: I think I was as good as I needed to be. I felt like it got better and better with each match. There are still areas of my game that I'm trying to refine, trying to improve, trying to develop every single time I walk out onto the court.

From where I stand, how we're reviewing and debriefing last week, it was a great problem-solving week. I felt like I worked a lot of things out, I ironed out a few creases. Now we're excited to come in here feeling pretty good.

Q. You had such a great run here last year. How much confidence do you take out of a quarterfinals appearance here?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: I have so many good memories from playing on Rod Laver Arena. It's a beautiful court. I'm excited to get out there tomorrow night. I think it's all learning experiences. Every experience I've had over the last 12 months will hopefully help me tomorrow night.

But, yeah, look, I'm just looking forward to getting out there. We take all of the good memories from last year, but also understanding it's a clean slate this year. I have to be sharp, ready to go and bring my best tomorrow.

Q. There are a lot of players just like you who could win this tournament. Such is the women's draw. Serena Williams going for the record still. How do you see her preparation? Do you think she can eventually get Margaret Court's record?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: I think there are 128 players on the men's side and there are 128 players on the women's side that can win the tournament. I don't think you can count anyone out. Everyone in this draw is deserving of their spot, has earned their right to be here.

I think that's the best part about our sport is that there are no certainties, no guarantees. You have to be ready on the day, you have to compete your hardest and try to be the better player on that day. That's the challenge. That's what I'm looking forward to.

Q. How have you seen the progress of some of your colleagues like Lizzie and Priscilla over the last couple weeks? What do you do to help them?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: I think for me, I don't really feel like I need to help them. Those girls are on their own journey, on an incredible journey. I have a lot of time for those girls. They're both incredible people and great athletes.

I think for them, this is just the very start. It's exciting they both got the opportunity to come out here. I think Liz is tomorrow, then Priz on Tuesday.

Yeah, look, it's exciting for them. It's exciting for us. All us Queenslanders with Sammy, Ajla, everyone in the draw as well. I think it's going to be a good couple weeks.

Q. A player you played in Adelaide, against Danielle Collins, had a strong start to her season. What did you see from her game?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: She's had an exceptional start to the season. She has. She's striking the ball very well. She likes to be in control from the first couple of strokes in the rally. She was serving very well. I had to really fight and had to kind of tough that one out. Certainly happy to do so.

Yeah, she's had a great start to the season.

Q. Was that your toughest match in Adelaide, getting a long fight like that under your belt before a slam?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: I think it's hard to say which one was the toughest. I had a couple of three-setters. Every match was unique, every match was different. Every match I had to problem solve in a different way.

That's kind of what I'm most proud about for myself and my team: early on in the season, being able to adjust quickly to different opponents.

Q. Is there a way to normalize a Grand Slam, especially one in your own backyard? Can you normalize it?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: You can. But I think it's also important to enjoy it. It's important to embrace it, enjoy everything that comes along with it. You don't get to play an Australian Open every single week. You don't get to play a Grand Slam every single week.

I won't be out here forever playing these Grand Slams every few months of the year. I'm looking forward to getting out here.

But for me it's easy to normalize it because of the people I've got around me. It's pretty simple in the fact that I've got, I mean, in my biased opinion, the best team on the tour. They look after me very well.

Q. It's been a while since you became No. 1. Do you still have some mornings where you wake up and go, Wow, I'm No. 1 in the world? Are you used to it?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: Every morning (smiling).

No, it's been incredible. I mean, we've worked exceptionally hard to try to get to this point. It's a little bit of a bonus that we've been able to sit at the top of the rankings for a few weeks now.

I'm trying to work as hard as I can every single day to stay there as long as I can. Also knowing it's not the end of the world, whatever my ranking is.

Q. It's been more than 40 years since an Australian has won here. We're a long way from that stage yet at the start of the tournament. Do you have a sense of that history, what it might mean for an Australian to win here in Melbourne?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, I mean, like you said, it's a long way, long way away. I think there are a lot of Aussies in the draw on the men's side and the women's side. I think, yeah, obviously for all of us it's a dream. For every player in this draw it's a dream to try and win a Grand Slam.

We'll just try to do the best we can tomorrow night and see how we go.

Q. Obviously you're a great player when you play with 'Australia' on your shirt, for the country. When you play at home here, is it a similar vibe internally in terms of whenever you step out there, you feel you're playing for something more? Is it more still singles Ash, tour level? Does it overlap at all that feeling?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: I think it does. I think it's natural that when there's so much excitement, there's so much crowd involvement, it changes a little bit.

I think just because we don't get to play in Australia all that often, we get a month at the start of the year, then like you said with Fed Cup, every now and again you get a home tie.

I think it's a bit of a feeling when you walk out on the court, it's almost electric that the crowd's involved, that I've got so much love and support from the crowd. It's amazing.

I think when they really get invested in the match, it's really special.

Q. Thoughts on your first opponent, Tsurenko?
ASHLEIGH BARTY: Obviously played Tsurenko a couple of years ago in Brisbane. She got the better of me that match. I know I'll have to be ready to go right from the start.

But, yeah, looking forward to it. Obviously it's a matchup similar to a few of the girls I played in Adelaide. In that regard, there are some similarities. Also knowing she's her own unique player. There are challenges she presents. Looking forward to try to problem solve, see what I can do.

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