THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

June 26, 2021

Ashleigh Barty

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Will there be nerves when you walk out on court on Tuesday to be playing the first match? I know you have the benefit of that because Simona is out with injury. It's still very special, no doubt.

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Incredibly special I think. It's an opportunity very few people get to experience. Of course, I wish Sim was here to be able to experience that. She's earned the right to open the court, open Centre Court on Tuesday as the defending women's champion.

I'm extremely excited and humbled to have the privilege and to have the honor. I hope I can go out there on a really special occasion for Australian tennis with Evonne's 50th anniversary. I think it's going to be a really special moment and one that I'm certainly looking forward to.

Q. How would you describe what you think the return of Wimbledon means to the tennis world?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: I think you walk through the gates here at the All England Club and you're instantly filled with gratitude. I think it was a tournament that was sorely missed last year on the calendar, sorely missed for a lot of players not having the opportunity to come here to the All England Club. Every time you get to walk through these gates, it's a feeling that you can't take for granted.

Genuinely I think it's excitement that everyone's being able to play on these beautiful courts again. It's exciting for me personally to be back here and to have another opportunity to learn more about these courts, to learn and experience more of what this beautiful place can offer.

Q. How are you physically? What have you had to do in the couple weeks since Roland Garros to get yourself ready for Wimbledon?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, it was a bit of a slow start I think. Straight after Paris, obviously there was some time where we needed to digest what was going on. We needed to get a full diagnosis. We were able to do that, which is a really crucial part of my rehab. We've been able to go through the rehab, do what we've needed to do, give ourselves the best chance to play here at Wimbledon.

Now I feel like I'm fit, I'm ready to play I'm excited to play. To have an opportunity to again play main draw here at Wimbledon is certainly something that excited me and really drove me to do everything as best as I possibly could with my team to make sure we're fit and we're here playing.

Q. Everyone in tennis knows what Carla has been through. How good is it to see her back in tennis? How special will it be to play her on Centre Court?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: It's incredible to have Carla back. When she came back on tour, it was just a sense of excitement from everyone. To know that she's got this tremendous character of resilience and strength, longevity. She's been on the tour for a long time at the very top of the game. I think for me to be able to experience opening Centre Court on Tuesday with her is going to be really cool.

I hope that we have a great match. I know I'm going to have to bring my very best level to be able to compete with her. She's been one of the best for a long time. Just to see her back here doing what she loves has brought a smile to not only my face but all the other players, the teams. I know the tour staff as well were genuinely excited to see her back.

To see her, like I said, doing what she loves again is really, really awesome.

Q. You mentioned earlier this was another opportunity to understand these courts, this setting. As a player who has won the French Open, is comfortable and has won titles on hard courts, but you've always spoken positively about grass. What do you feel most comfortable on?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: As to what surface I feel most comfortable on?

Q. Yes.

ASHLEIGH BARTY: All of them (smiling).

It's part of the challenge of being a tennis player, is making sure that you can be comfortable in different conditions. That we play on hard courts a lot throughout the year, but the hard courts are different. Each and every country, each and every climate is different.

But I love playing on grass. I love the challenge that comes with playing on grass. For me, it's traditional. It's kind of where our sport originated. From a young kid, the first time I played on grass court, I loved it. I loved the challenge of having to adapt, having to almost adapt the way that you play as the grass changes as well, as you go deeper and deeper into events. The grass gets quicker, it kind of changes as you go.

That challenge and that adaptability is something that I've always really enjoyed that challenge. Playing here at Wimbledon is certainly no different.

Q. I read a quote that you gave in an interview end of last year where you said that you now have the courage to say out loud you want to win Wimbledon. If you don't mind sharing with us the process of reaching the stage where you do have the courage of saying that out loud. What was perhaps stopping you from saying that before?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: I think naturally as you become more experienced and you learn more about yourself, you kind of become more comfortable within your own skin, trusting who you are as a person, knowing that the authentic version of yourself is the only person that you can be was a massive steppingstone for me.

Over the last couple of years, I've learnt a lot about myself. And in particular last year being away and kind of not having the opportunity to play here at Wimbledon, it almost reminded me of how much I do love coming here and how much this tournament means to me.

One day I would love to be the champion here. It's a dream. It's a goal. Dreams don't always come true, but you can fight and do everything you can to give yourself that opportunity. That's been a lot of my learnings over the last two years as a person, not just as a professional tennis player, but as a person, is putting my hopes and dreams out into the universe and chasing them.

You can dare to dream, you can try and dream big. There's certainly nothing wrong with that.

Q. Roger Federer and Serena Williams are both coming up on their 40th birthdays. Do you think having them out there still at this age on tour has changed players' perspectives on how long it's possible to be a professional tennis player? Has it changed the way you think about what that limit might be? Can you imagine yourself sitting at that table doing a pretournament press conference at Wimbledon as you're about to turn 40?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: For me, I don't think that's in my realm. Roger and Serena are two icons of our sport. They're two legends. Their longevity in the sport is remarkable, it truly is. Not just to be playing and competing but to be winning, being at the very top of the game for such an extended period is unbelievable.

I think you certainly get a sense from the other players that longevity now in your career is becoming more normal, it really is. I think being able to trust yourself and to know that you almost don't have to feel rushed in a way.

Each and every person has their own unique journey and their own unique story. I think Roger and Serena over a number of years now have proven that their journeys have been different, they've been unique, but for them it's been successful. I think that gives everyone the inspiration, the desire to continue to try and be the best that they can be each and every single day.

Q. What can you say about your drawback because of your preparation on grass? Is it something according to your status that can be considered as a drawback or you feel enough confidence in your tennis and your own capacities to do well?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: My preparation has been as good as it could be. I couldn't ask anything more of myself to give myself an opportunity to play here at Wimbledon. Yes, I haven't played a tournament leading in, but it's not something that I focus on, not something that I'm concerned about.

I've done everything that I possibly can to be here. I'm excited to now have an another opportunity to play in a main draw at Wimbledon. I feel comfortable on the courts. Now it's about going out there, enjoying the competition, and trying to bring the best level that I can on that day.

Q. I'm probably the last person that would ever ask about outfits and dresses. I know you have a special outfit you're going to be wearing in tribute to Evonne Goolagong. Can you talk about that and also what it would mean you to emulate her and win the tournament 50 years after she managed it?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: It's a really special anniversary for a lot of Australians, but for indigenous Australians in particular I think this is a really special one. For me to be able to wear an outfit inspired by Evonne's iconic scallop dress is really amazing.

I wanted to make sure she was okay with it. Before we had put in the process of creating my version of her iconic dress, I wanted to make sure she was okay. Called her and asked her. She was really excited.

I think for me, that made me feel a lot more comfortable knowing her favorite dress, probably her most iconic dress, is something that inspired me and inspired our generation of indigenous youth. I hope that my version of it, my outfit, can do the same for the next generation of indigenous youth coming forward.

Evonne has guided the way. She's created a path for all of us as Australians, but as a family and for our heritage to know that there is an opportunity to chase after your dreams and to do what you love. She's created a legacy like no other in Australia. I think I'm exceptionally proud to be able to call her a friend and a mentor, to be able to share heritage. For me to be able to pay tribute to that on a really special anniversary is something that I'll never forget. I know not only myself but my team, my family, and Evonne and her family are really excited for the outfit, as well.

Q. Novak Djokovic, your fellow No. 1 on the men's side, is talking about talking to a lot of the female players about the PTPA organization. Have you spoken to Novak about that?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: I haven't spoken to Novak, no.

Q. I hope you're physically much better than in Rome and in Paris. I would like to ask you, if I look at the previews, writing and writing about gentlemen's singles, we see Novak Djokovic is seeded No. 1 and the strong favorite in what we read. When we talk about the ladies' singles, we see that Ash Barty is No. 1 seeded, but people write that there are eight or ten people that can win the tournament. How do you compare the two situations? Is the gap between the No. 1 man and the other men much wider than in the women's? Is that a bother to you, something that you're not satisfied, you would like to be the Djokovic of the women's tennis?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: No, I'm Ash Barty. I'm myself. That's all I need to be. I think there are 128 players in both draws, both capable of winning this tournament. Rankings, favoritisms, whatever is written, is completely irrelevant. Not something that I focused on in the smallest.

So for me, I'm just trying to do the best that I can to prepare for myself. It's an opportunity for me, again, to grow as a person, experience something incredible as a tennis player.

I certainly don't need to be anyone but myself. I'm comfortable as myself. I'm proud of what I do every single day. That's all I can ask.