THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 5, 2021

Ashleigh Barty

Press Conference

A. BARTY/B. Krejcikova

7-5, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Given the limited preparation that you had prior to the tournament, how far do you feel you've come in making up for that lack of preparation? How important was that workout today?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: There was certainly no lack of preparation. It was a different preparation. Without a doubt it was unique. I did everything in my power to make sure I was well-prepared to come into this tournament. I feel like we're doing all the right things, we're trying to do everything that we can each and every day to be as ready as possible for the next day. That's no different to how we prepare for each and every tournament.

Certainly happy with the way things are going.

Q. In French Open you had to withdraw with injury. Now you seem to be absolutely fit and in tremendous form. What special efforts are you taking to make these drastic changes?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, I feel good. I have an incredible team. I have a great physio, I have a great trainer, a great coach. We're all very much on the same wavelength when it comes to how we want to plan, how we want to prepare. Also a little bit of luck. You need things to go your way.

The rehab for me in between Paris and playing here at Wimbledon was as best as we could hope for. But I feel great. I feel like each and every day we continue to do the right recoveries, we try to prepare in a way knowing I can give myself the best chance to walk out on court to play at absolutely a hundred percent and I feel great.

Q. There was a moment towards the later stages of second set where it started to rain. Barbora indicated she thought you should come off. You didn't want to. Was it important you got through, didn't have that delay?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, I mean, you could see the cloud coming over behind the court. I was thinking, Oh, no. I didn't really want to have the delay. It's one of those things.

But it was just sprinkling for a minute. Didn't really feel like it was setting in. We played a couple points and then it went away. Then there was another kind of few drops a couple games later.

As long as the court wasn't slippery, for me we keep going on. Barbora was happy as well. She just said, Do you want to keep going? The court was fine. So we were both happy to carry on.

Q. That first set, so crucial. You could have been down 2-5. What were you saying to yourself to remain on track, close it out, do eventually go through the match?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, that 2-4 game in the first set was a big one. I felt like a couple of those breakpoints down, I think there were one or two, I played the point a bit more aggressively and was able to be a bit more assertive. That was kind of a little bit of a change.

Probably for the first 15 or 20 minutes, I felt like I was really struggling to pick up her ball off her racquet. I wasn't able to make enough, give myself a chance to get into games, plain and simple.

Once I was able to do that, getting a break back instantly at 4-3 to level things out was a good game. Again, made more balls and gave myself a chance.

It was just about giving myself time to settle into the match in a sense of feeling super free and super comfortable, just working my way into games.

Q. Could you talk a little bit about the potential of your next two opponents. Ajla you know very well. I don't think you've ever played in a competitive match, have you?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Ajla and I?

Q. Yes.

ASHLEIGH BARTY: I don't know. You guys are meant to tell me that.

I don't think so. We've practiced together plenty of times. We've played in doubles once or twice maybe. Obviously it's incredible for Aussie tennis. I was pumped to see Ajla through to the second week here for her first time at Wimbledon, I think.

She's been knocking on the door for a long time. She's a great girl, has been playing some great tennis. I was rapt for her to be able to get through.

She has an exciting match coming up this afternoon. It's going to be a hell of an environment, a great atmosphere. I know both of those girls will bring out the best in each other. Everyone is going to enjoy it.

I'll probably chuck it on in the background, don't know if I'll watch too much. I'll chat with Tyzz about it once that result is done so we can plan and prepare as we usually do.

Q. Are you and Ajla good friends?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: I mean, yeah. No reason not to be. I've known Ajla for a long time. We're good mates. Aussies are typically easygoing. Yeah, absolutely.

Q. Can you talk about the crowd, if Emma gets through, how you will be able to counter that very hometown support she will have? If Ajla gets through, how will it feel playing another Australian?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: I think, look, those are two different possibilities, two different outcomes that at the moment is speculation. I think it's not something that I focus on or think about right now.

For me, the crowd, it's incredible to have people in the stadiums enjoying the match with us. They don't really determine the outcome of the match. It's just an environment. It's just an atmosphere. So either way it's going to be fun. It's going to be great. Whether it's Emma or Ajla, I think both atmospheres will be different. But no better, no worse. They will be what they will be. I will absolutely enjoy every single second out there on that court.

Q. Have you ever had a situation where you've been kind of the one that the crowd is not supporting?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Oh, plenty of times. Plenty of times. It doesn't faze me in the least. I mean, I've played Fed Cup ties away from home. I've played girls in their own backyards, which would be no different. If that's part of the challenge, then it is. If it's not, then it's not.

Q. About the possibility of playing Emma. What have you seen, if any, of her match action at Wimbledon so far? What do you make of the way she's become a darling for the hometown crowd?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Honestly, I really haven't seen a ball. I haven't seen one point of her matches. I was warming up the other day, we could hear it on Court 1. I haven't seen a ball.

I understand recently she started working with Nigel. Obviously I've known Nigel for a long time. We have a great relationship. When I noticed him walking around with her, that was the first I've seen of her. I'm not sure how much she's played on tour before. Certainly a fresh face.

She's having an incredible, incredible tournament. It's amazing to see a young player like Emma absolutely grab it with both hands, play fearless tennis from what I've heard, go out and enjoy it.

If that is the matchup, then it will be an exciting atmosphere for sure.

Q. In terms of the match today, how long does it take you to get the feel of a match when you're up against a person who is a quality opponent you never have played before? Does it take a while to work into the match?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: It can do. I think at different times obviously for both of us there was an adjustment playing on that court. Played a little bit differently to what I've been hitting on and obviously played a little bit differently to Centre. There's a bit of an adjustment period. I think that's fair for both of us.

We've played each other in doubles multiple times. Of course, you know how the other person hits the ball. Patterns in singles and kind of the matchup changes a little bit.

I just needed to allow myself time to settle in and kind of figure out her patterns, then how I was going to bring it back to my patterns as regularly as possible. Of course, we had those discussions with Tyzz before the match. We go out there with a plan. Things don't always go to plan, patterns change, opponents are unpredictable. That's what I love about sport, there's no certainty, no guarantees. It's just go out there play and enjoy it.

Q. You take everything in your stride, but how good is it feeling to be in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon? Also, you're looking a little bit more relaxed. Garry is here. Having that sort of company, as well, not just Tyzz around.

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, I mean, it was always our plan to try and have Garry over here for this part of the trip, like he usually does, he usually tries to come to the UK. I don't really know what to say about that.

In a sense of being in the quarter, I'm happy. I'm excited. It's another steppingstone for me. It's another first, I suppose. It's kind of going to be a new situation, a new scenario, one that I'm going to look forward to. I'm going to enjoy it no matter what. I think it's a steppingstone to what is kind of one of my biggest dreams. We just keep chipping away.

Q. How is your body feeling? Four matches now. French Open, the buildup to Wimbledon. Are you feeling better match to match or you're focusing a lot on recovery between matches?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, the focus in between matches is exactly how it always is. It's recovery and prioritizing that recovery. Always been a massive part of my career. Being able to do that this week has been great.

We just continue to do all the right things. Obviously, like I've said, the rehabs between Paris and here in London, we had 22 or 23 days. We were able to kind of work backwards from that point. We did everything as best we could.

I'm feeling great. I'm feeling ready. Obviously getting more and more matches is really nice to be able to feel the court under my feet.