THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 3, 2021

Ashleigh Barty

Press Conference

A. BARTY/K. Siniakova

6-3, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How do you feel you played, getting more used to these grass courts? Also now you look ahead to the last 16, the start of the business end of the tournament.

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, I've been very spoilt so far, enjoying absolutely every second I've been able to play on Centre Court. I think today's match was a little bit better again with the level. I felt like I was able to control more of the match and kind of bring it back to my patterns more often. I felt like I was able to use my serve effectively today.

Overall happy with another solid performance.

Q. As you look ahead to the start of the business end, the round of 16 next week?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, another second week of a slam. It's always exciting. I feel like the consistency for me over the last couple of years, two years, not including 2020, has been good. It's been nice to be putting myself deeper into these tournaments at the slams.

On Monday it will be no different. It's a new challenge against Barbora, who's obviously played some exceptional tennis over the last couple months. Another challenge I look forward to. Nice to be able to put myself in this position again to try to go that one step further.

Q. Krejcikova next. She says she remembers you from 10 years ago when you both were in the juniors together. I don't know if you have played competitively. Talk about her game, what she's been doing recently.

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, she's had an exceptional last couple months. I have played her plenty of times in the doubles court. Never on the singles court. It's a new experience for both of us, some new challenges that for sure will force some of my best tennis. I'm looking forward to that challenge. I'm looking forward to trying to figure out her game, kind of piece together the puzzle that she presents.

I'll sit down with Tyzz over the next 24 hours or so and try and work out how we try and tackle it. Then we approach the match like we do every other match. Go out there and try to execute, have fun, and see what happens.

Q. What has been most striking to you in what you've seen her play in the amazing run she said she didn't expect herself?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: I'd love to be able to tell you every single part of her game. To be honest, I haven't watched a lot. For me, I wasn't in a frame of mind to watch any of the matches in Paris. I kind of ignored much of that tournament, except for a couple of little snippets here and there.

Yeah, in a selfish way, I mean, I haven't watched a lot of her tennis. That will be a discussion for Tyzz and I over the next 24 hours or so to try and work out how we're going to try and play.

Q. After a week of tennis, could you sum up how you feel physically. Did you have to make some changes to your daily routine to accommodate for the recovery of the injury that forced you out of Paris?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, each day it's a routine that we've been going through without a doubt to try to manage my body as best as possible. There have been some additional focuses that we've added, but nothing that's stressful or nothing that's concerning.

I think for us, it's the same routine we would always go through. There are just a couple of additional measures that we check on.

I feel great. I feel excited to be in another round of 16, another second week of a slam. Physically I feel good. I trust my body. I trust my game. It's about going out there and just trying to have fun.

Q. Tomorrow is the last middle Sunday ever here, hence Monday will be the last ever Manic Monday. You played one Manic Monday I think. How do you feel about the whole loss going into next year, the change of tradition here?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: My take is that it's well above my pay grade to be making those decisions. I think I'm excited to be in another round of 16, another second week of a slam. I think traditionally here at Wimbledon, the Manic Monday is obviously chock-a-block full of tennis.

But that tradition changing next year is going to be exciting to have fans through the gates on that muddle Sunday. For us players, it doesn't change as much, I don't think. It's kind of still day on, day off, like it would be at other slams.

Obviously traditions here at Wimbledon go back a long way. That will be a bit of an adjustment, it will be a bit of a change. It will be exciting to have people rolling through the gates on that middle Sunday from next year.

Yeah, other than that it's not something I've actually really thought about until you just mentioned it now. Probably haven't really answered your question for you, but... It's exciting for the fans and for the tournament I think.

Q. It's the Aussie women flying the flag for the Australians.

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah.

Q. Must feel pretty good, you and Ajla.

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, it was nice, I saw her in the corridor just before I was going on. Awesome for Ajla. She's been knocking on the door for weeks and weeks, over an extended period. So nice to be able to see her progress to a second week of a slam. I think it's been a few years since she has done that.

But she's a brilliant chick. I think she's played some exceptional tennis from what I've heard over this last week. I'm absolutely rapt for her, and for us Aussies leading into a really exciting month. It's really cool.

Q. Do you think this match with Krejcikova is going to be a real treat for the connoisseurs of tennis? All-court games, a throwback.

ASHLEIGH BARTY: I'm not quite sure how to answer that one.

I think for the both of us, obviously we'll try and work each other out. We'll try and tactically try a few different things. If it's easy on the eyes, then that's nice. But if it's not, it won't bother me in the slightest.

I think we just try and go out there and do what we want to do. Try and bring the match back on my terms as often as possible. If that's pretty in a sense, that's nice. If it's not, it's also not a focus for me.

Q. You'll win ugly if you have to.

ASHLEIGH BARTY: A win's a win they always say, right?

Look, it's a different challenge. I think for sure there will be a period where we'll kind of be feeling each other out, I suppose, having not played each other on the singles court before. We're probably at different phases of our career in a sense. Even from when we hit with each other and practiced with each other years and years ago, played in doubles, it's a little bit different now.

It's a challenge that we both look forward to, absolutely.