MUTUA MADRID OPEN

May 8, 2021

Ashleigh Barty

Press Conference

A. SABALENKA/A. Barty

6-0, 3-6, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Obviously there was little room for error. How were you able to compartmentalize losing the first set, then come within a couple of games of winning the title?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, I think it's important in that first set, I think Aryna served exceptionally well. Probably had too many looks at second serves, was really able to control the center of the court, the first strike. In the sense of resetting, there's no better opportunity to do that after losing a set 6-Love.

It's tough to take too many good things out of it. You just reset and start again. That was important for me to try to do. I think I just needed to try a few different things. I shifted my court position around more than anything to try to give her a little bit of a different look, try to break some rhythm, some momentum. I was able to do that.

There wasn't much in it. I think I had two or three breakpoints in that third set. She had the same. She grabbed her opportunity, I didn't grab mine. It's a pretty fine line.

Yeah, not a lot in that match at all.

Q. Despite coming up a little bit short, what are you proud of that you can take with you going to Rome?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: I'm always proud at the end of every tournament. I think whenever you have an opportunity to leave the tournament with a smile, that's always a good thing. That's certainly what we've been able to do this week.

It's been fantastic. Another opportunity to play against quality players. To put yourself in that last match to win a title, it's always kind of what the goal is. At the end of the day you want to be trying to win those titles as regularly as possible.

You can't win 'em all, but certainly each time you step out on the court, try to go about it the right way. I felt like I certainly did that all this week. So proud definitely.

Q. Looking forward, your take on the move back to sea level? Do you feel like there's a lot of difference in the game or is it just minor tinkering you'll need to do?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: There are adjustments, of course. I couldn't tell you how high we are here in Madrid. I can certainly feel it on the court. Of course, the conditions in Rome are a little bit different. There's a bit of an adjustment. Then, of course, you take that into Paris, as well.

It takes some time. Not something that I overthink. I think it's more you just go there, see how you feel on the court, then adjust, whether it's string tension or the way you play slightly from there. Certainly nothing I ever think of or focus on too much at all.

Q. Given you've had quite a few matches in the last couple weeks, quite a few more to come in Rome, do you look at the extra week into this year's schedule as a plus? What do you plan to do with that time when you get there?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, I don't make the schedules. I just play to what my schedule suits. Like you said, playing a lot of matches is a good problem to have. I feel great. I feel like we have another opportunity in Rome to try do the best we can there. Then we just reset and focus for Roland Garros.

I think there's no extra thought put into it. There's no extra planning. We just kind of go ahead and do what we do in Rome, take it one week at a time, then prepare the best we can for the next event.

Q. It was such a tight match. She got off to such a flying start. If there was one thing in the match that you would want to change or correct, what would it be?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Oh, I think there are a few moments, of course, that you'd like to have back again. I mean, I don't sit here and think about those moments. I don't sit here and think about or regret any of the decisions I made. Just it is what it is. I felt like I left everything out there on the court today. It wasn't quite enough. That's okay. You can kind of accept that.

I think if you know you kind of didn't give it your all, that's when you have the regrets. Of course, you look at some key moments that you'd like to do a little bit differently. There's a few second serves that I saw on the breakpoints I had in the third set.

All in all, it was a pretty good level of match. To be able to fight and find a way back in was really important, as well.

Q. On the point of the altitude in Madrid, do you think that gave Sabalenka a little bit more of an advantage because the ball might have been flying fractionally, and the power game she's got?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: I think an advantage maybe, but it's conditions to adapt to for everyone. Everybody has to adapt and you have to be able to use them to your advantage to be able to gain them.

All week you saw how dominant she was off serve, was able to really build pressure on return games. She did that again today. Right from the get-go she put me under the pump on my service games. She served well in the big moments. You have to tip your hat and say too good when she comes up with serves at 185, 190 plus on big points. You say too good. That's why she's a very, very fierce competitor. She's a great athlete. She always, always puts herself out there and turns up in the big moments.

Q. You've played her a few times now this season. From match to match, is there much difference from what you see from her side of the net?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, I think we played on outdoor hard, indoor clay, now outdoor clay in altitude. Very different matchups. In a sense of how Aryna likes to play, I think when she's playing her best tennis, she's able to dominate. She was able to do that all this week.

I think the challenge for me when I play against her is to try to take her out of that pattern as often as I can. I was able to do that a little bit tonight, but not enough to quite get over the line.

All of our matches are always close. There's always just a couple points, a couple games. It's always a very fine line against the best players in the world that you have to kind of tread. Sometimes you have to take that risk. Other times they're going to find a way to win the match.

That's the beauty of our sport. Every time you step on the court there's an uncertainty. You go out there and you just try your best on that given day. If it's enough, it's enough. If it's not, that's all right as well.

Q. Her game, at least at first glance, it does not seem like a classic red clay sort of tennis. What is it that she's able to do that allows her to still have success on this surface?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, I mean, there are many ways to play on a clay court. I don't think you necessarily have to be dropping back meters and meters behind the baseline. She's able to serve and hit through the court. When the conditions are quick, she's really taking advantage of that. She's got a very heavy ball that maybe you don't see from the television, but at court level there's quite a bit on the ball. She's a big, strong girl. She's able to dominate when she's inside the court.

I mean, not having those weapons myself, if I had them, I wouldn't change regardless of what surface I was on.

Q. In general long, grueling clay court matches, for you are they more physically taxing or mentally taxing?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: A bit of both. I think that's the enjoyment that clay court tennis can bring. It's a challenge that clay court tennis can bring, is that you can have long, grueling points, long, grueling games. I feel like you can have a lot of long service games. It's a challenge mentally to keep stepping up each and every point.

Also I think there needs to be more of an acceptance that at times some of the things that happen, whether it's a bad bounce, your opponent being able to chase down that extra ball, is out of your control a little bit. I think you need to approach it with a really open mind, a creative mind. I think that's something that I've tried to focus on more. The more I play on clay, the more I learn the surface, how my game style matches up to the surface.

Q. Did you feel maybe the fatigue was catching up to you a bit, playing so many matches?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, it's a good problem to have. I think any time you can play a lot of matches and a lot of tennis, it means you're putting yourself out there over and over again.

Of course there was a little bit of fatigue. Aryna also played a lot of tennis. There wasn't much physically in it. It was more she was able to take her opportunity at the end. There's certainly no shame in losing 4 in the third in a final to a top-10 player. I have absolutely no shame about that, no regrets.

I'm really proud of the week, kind of the month we've had since we've been away. It's been a great start. We look to bigger and better things.

Q. Do you feel maybe she caught you off guard a little bit in the first set?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Not off guard. I knew what she's capable of without a doubt. It's happened to me before. I can guarantee it's going to happen again.

She takes the ball out of my court and essentially takes the racquet out of my hand when she serves the way she did in the first set. I gave her a few too many looks on second serves. She's able to dominate and take that away from me.

I guarantee it won't be the last time that it happens. I'll continue to fight and try to find a way back in each and every time.