ADELAIDE INTERNATIONAL

January 7, 2022

Ashleigh Barty

Press Conference

A. BARTY/S. Kenin

6-3, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Talk us through both matches today really, your thoughts on approaching the semis tomorrow.

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, it was nice to get a couple of wins. I felt like in my singles I was able to control my service games a lot better, served really well today. I was able to put pressure on Sofia right from the get-go on her service games.

I thought all in all small improvements from the last match in certain areas, but we're still looking to get better and better.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Could you talk about your serve. Is that something you've been working on?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, we always continue to work on my serve. It's always something I've tried to use as best as I can as a weapon. It's the one shot in tennis that you have full control over, so trying to develop that as best that I can, trying to use that as a weapon, has always been a big part of my game.

Today I was able to see the box quite clearly and hit my spots well and get on a little bit of a run. I think towards the end Sofia was kind of leaning one way or the other and I was able to kind of get up and hit my spots.

Q. As far as the serve was concerned, 17 aces, do you think it's one of the most underestimated aspects of your game from the general public or fans?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: I don't know. You'd have to ask them. I think in the last few years I felt like I've always been able to serve well and control my service games. Ultimately that's all I'm trying to do, is bring the match back on my terms when I've got that first ball in the rally.

I felt like probably the last three or four years I've been in the top of the rankings in a sense of being able to look after my first serves, service games won and looking after my second serve as well.

Q. A non-match question. You posted an image on Instagram with the F-PACE.

ASHLEIGH BARTY: I-PACE.

Q. Are you a bit of a lead foot?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: No, I'm Driving Miss Daisy (smiling).

Q. No, you can't be.

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Mate, I've never lost a point, never had a speeding ticket. I'm Driving Miss Daisy (laughter).

Q. In addition to the 17 aces, you only dropped one point on your first serve. Chicken and egg: is it one of those things where you're feeling you're rolling through your first serves really well, so you start getting more aces, or you're hitting your spots and that's transitioning into the other stat?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, I think the only point I lost on my serve, it was a short forehand that I missed. I was probably just switched off a little bit on that forehand.

I think all in all today my rhythm felt good on my serve. I felt like I could get up and hit all of my spots. Then it was just about using the wind as best I could from end to end, changing that, trying to keep variety, not trying to be too patterned in a way to keep Sofia guessing.

Just trying to be confident. I think I only lost the first point on my service game once, maybe twice. That's important to kind of get the game off to a good start and then kind of roll with it.

Q. To have the first tournament after the break, you open up against Coco, Kenin, then either Azarenka or Swiatek in the semis, not an easy draw, a good test to start the year for you.

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, it is. That's what this kind of week is about. It's about seeing where my level is at. It's about trying to give myself an opportunity to play some matches. We've got that now. We've got a couple matches under our belt, another one coming up against a quality opponent. We just continue to try and chip away, get back into the match flow.

I felt like today was probably still bits and pieces to work on in match management, if that makes sense. But looking forward to the challenge tomorrow against either Vika or Iga.

Q. Can you talk through those potential matchups.

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, a little bit different from both sides.

I think Vika is the ultimate competitor, she's the ultimate champion, and a very good friend of mine. I love her as a person and I love her as an athlete, a tennis player as well.

I think what she brings to the court is fantastic. She forces me to play my best tennis. She forces me to play with clarity, be really clear in what I have to do because otherwise she can wipe you off the court pretty quickly and make you feel very small.

That's the challenge, trying to bring the match back on my terms, really respecting when she comes up with some of her best stuff.

As for Iga, we practice quite a bit together. I enjoy her company. I enjoy her team's company. Playing her for the first time last year in Madrid was exciting for both of us. I hope that's not the only match that we play.

The way she's aggressive on the ball, aggressive on the baseline, she moves exceptionally well, has a weight of shot that not many have.

I think the challenge is trying to not let her control the point too much out of the center of the court and keep her moving and try to bring it back to my weapons, if I can.

Q. Could you comment about reaching the doubles final as well with Storm.

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, it's exciting. It's exciting for Stormy and I to play for a doubles title at home. It's always nice to get matches in these first couple weeks of the year. I love playing with Storm. I enjoy her company. She makes me smile. She makes me laugh. When we're on the court, we complement each other really well.

It's exciting as two Aussies to be able to play a final at home the first week of the year is pretty cool.

Q. On Iga, towards the latter half of last season she was open about how much she admired your consistency. How much does she ask you for advice or pick your brain? To the extent she does, what is that like for you to have another top-10 player looking for tips?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, I love the communication that I have with Iga. I feel like when we practice, we're really open. We share similar interests off the court, as well. I think more of the communication is about kind of life in general and kind of what's happening off the tennis court.

When she's on the tennis court, she knows what she's doing. There's certainly no advice from me that needs to be given to her for her to improve.

She's got a great team of people around her. She's an incredible athlete. She's a smart girl. She's going to very much figure out her way and her path, what works for her.

It's easy to forget that she's still relatively new to the tour in a sense. It's only been a couple years. Those years have been disrupted in a way. But she's going to be a very consistent player over a long period of time without a doubt in my mind.