WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN

August 19, 2021

Ashleigh Barty

Press Conference

A. BARTY/V. Azarenka

6-0, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Pretty incredible match from you today. Everything seemed to go right. Talk us through the match from your perspective and what made the difference.

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, I think I was able to look after my own service games pretty well today, particularly off my first serve, which was a key part of my game, trying to take away from Vika's return strength.

I think that allowed me to be more free on Vika's service games, and I felt like each and every game I was more times than not getting the first couple points which builds pressure over time, so it was certainly a good one today.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. I'm sure going into the match, you would never have expected to have a scoreline as it was. While the match was unfolding, what were you thinking?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, I think sometimes a scoreline in tennis can fool you. Even though it was quite a convincing scoreline, for most part of that match, each and every game there were crucial points within each and every game. I felt like I was able to win a lot of those big points today.

As I said, getting ahead early in games was really helpful. Whether it be 40-Love or Love-30 on Vika's serve, I was able to continually build pressure over time of winning those early points in games. I think I was able to control the ball a lot better today. I was able to use my slice effectively and set up my forehand a lot better today, and I felt overall it was a pretty solid match.

Q. At the moment, it's 5-All in the second-set tiebreak between Krejcikova and Muguruza. How do you feel going into the next round?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, well, I think we'll just see how that one plays out, whether it finishes up in this set or it splits. Either way, for now, it's not a concern of mine. We will go and do our homework tonight like we always do and prepare as best that we can and try and adjust my game a little bit to what the opponent brings. Then we just go out there and try and execute.

Q. What have you been doing over there? Have you gone across the road to the amusement park? Have you really just been sticking between the hotel and the site?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Been playing tennis, the reason why I'm here (smiling). In between the rain delays, reading my book. That's about it. Pretty simple life Team Barty lives.

Q. What are you reading?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Just kind of a crimey thriller kind of thing at the moment, pretty easy reading. Just a novel to get my brain ticking and the imagination working.

Q. Great match. Just a question about at this point in August going into September, does it feel like the finish line of your grand adventure around the world is getting closer? Does it still feel far off? Do you not think about it? How do you see it at this point?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, it's a bit of a strange one. It is the grand adventure. You're spot on with that one. I think once we left Australia at the beginning of this year, that was very much the mindset that we used, is this is going to be a year like no other. It is going to be an adventure, and we are going to have to find ways to not only enjoy it but entertain ourselves at times.

In the same breath, I feel like we blinked and we are mid-August. But there have been times where I've felt like days have been long, everything's dragged out. It's kind of almost a balance of -- at times I have been really busy. Fortunately I have been busy playing a lot of matches, which has been the best distraction possible to pass time, but, I mean, it's hard to focus too much on what's ahead.

We are just trying to play each match and kind of live each day as best we can, make sure we laugh, make sure we smile, have a good time, and the rest will take care of itself.

Q. One of the challenges of the North American hard court summer every year, regardless of conditions and whatever we are living with in this world, but is that it can feel like the dog days of summer. It can feel like you guys have been on the road for so long and almost there. I mean, does that feel any different this year as opposed to last, given Olympics, given your unique situation with the travel? Or does it feel kind of the same as how you guys always feel once you get to this section of the season?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, it was certainly an adjustment after Wimbledon. I think chatting to a few of the other Aussie girls, typically after Wimbledon a lot of us would go home and kind of reset for the back half, what we feel like is the back half of the year we would usually play through the American hard court swing and move on to Asia.

But I think this year, having Tokyo and the Olympic Games was almost in a way the perfect distraction and reset to not kind of focus and kind of dwell on the fact that we're not going home.

I think actually having that a little bit of a difference in our schedule helped. It helped me. I think it helped a few of the other girls just reset and use that as a reset, use that experience and that fun that we had in Tokyo to kind of reset the year and then -- because it's a completely different feeling to what a normal tournament week is, and then kind of resetting after Tokyo, okay, now it's back to a kind of a "normal" tour. It was an important reset.

Certainly nice being back here in Cincy. I have some good memories of some tough matches fighting through, some good tennis. So it's a bit of a mix here for me. I think all in all it's been kind of a really good reset and something that I have needed going into New York.

Q. You mentioned obviously after the match against Heather that Grandstand plays very differently than center and everywhere else. Being back on center, is it playing the way you remember it playing? Obviously you played so well the last time you were there, but, yeah, how was the court speed for you and the conditions there?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, completely different ball game. I think as soon as we got back out there, it felt more of what I remembered Cincinnati and the conditions of being here and of playing.

I think traditionally, Grandstand has always played a little bit different, for whatever reason. It's just a different court. Yeah, you never know. Sometimes just the way that the stands are, the way the wind comes in and out of the stadium can change that feeling.

But certainly playing on center court here is beautiful. It was nice to be able to play a really clean match and I think trust myself a little bit more today, go out there and play with some more freedom and ultimately be more in control of that match.

Q. On this aspect of the incredible journey, what have you got left? Besides Cincinnati, is it just the US Open and Indian Wells? Or do you have other stuff in the cards after that? Would it be a case of flying, coming back home after Indian Wells?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: We'll have to wait and see, won't we? You have to be patient, Craig, like everyone else.

Q. What have you got up your sleeve?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: No, look, we're focused at the moment on playing here at Cincy, we go to the US Open, and then obviously Indian Wells is in a different time slot to normal. I know there is a 500 in Chicago and there are a few different tournaments added and, and then obviously Finals, to my understanding, is yet to be confirmed in a week or a place, so I'm unsure.

I know as much as you do at the moment genuinely.