AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 21, 2022

Ashleigh Barty

Press Conference

A. BARTY/C. Giorgi

6-2, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: How does it feel going through to the fourth round?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, it's exciting. I felt like I was able to play a good level tonight and execute what we wanted to do. Very exciting being into the second week here in Melbourne again.

THE MODERATOR: Questions?

Q. I guess all the expectation was that you were going to be facing Naomi Osaka, and obviously that's been turned on its head. What are your thoughts about going in against Amanda Anisimova?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, that was your expectation. My expectation was whoever it would be. I mean, each match is uncertain. Each match of tennis, there are no certainties. You have no idea what's going to happen. You just have to navigate your way through as best you can that given moment.

I have done a good job of that this week. Now it's exciting to get to play Amanda again. We've played before. It will be nice to play each other again in a big match.

Q. What do you remember of that French Open semifinal?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Plenty, I try to forget, but also, I remember that I learned a lot from that moment. That was a turning point in my career, and you have to be able to take learnings from those moments, as hard as they are sometimes, and I was able to navigate and find a way through. Which at that point in my life, in my career, it was a massive turning point.

Yeah, obviously it feels like it's a lifetime ago, but some of those memories are still really vivid. Without a doubt we will take that and use that experience, use those feelings and those emotions as best we can come Sunday.

Q. Tyzz often said that second set of that semifinal against Amanda in Paris, as you just said, it was a turning point, but he said that you really had to think for yourself on court on how to change that. Is that how you also see it?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, that whole match, I remember the biggest moment of that match was coming out of the chair at 3-Love down the second set. I remember that to this very day what I was saying to myself at that change of ends. From then on, it's held me in pretty good stead, sticking to those values and continuing to try and grow each and every time on court and problem-solve and work my way through.

It hasn't worked every time, but it's made me really comfortable and made me feel like I belong out on the court. I get to do it my way. I get to be unique. I get to experiment and I get to have fun with it.

Q. Are you going to tell us what you said to yourself?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: No (smiling).

Q. I think the record of games won is quite remarkable. Have you done anything differently? What do you put that down to?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, it's been fantastic. It's been really solid over the last couple of weeks. Particularly in Adelaide I felt like I found a really good rhythm with it. Here so far in my matches I've been able to squeeze out of a few really tough games, and obviously a big one tonight from Love-40 into the wind was a big game. I felt like once I was able to steady the ship with that one, got a little bit more confidence just to go up and hit my spots and still be aggressive on my service games when I had that ball in hand.

So I think all in all, it's been a really positive start with regards to the serving.

Q. There was a lot of attention in the draw, you possibly playing Naomi in the fourth round. That's not happening. Any part of you wanting to play her? You have been two of the best players the past several years and haven't had that many chances to actually come head to head. Was that something you were hoping might happen here?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, it shows how often the draw pans out like you guys think, hey? I would have loved to have had the opportunity to play Naomi. I love to test myself against the very best.

In the position we're in, Amanda has played a fantastic tournament. She deserves her spot in the round of 16. I think the match we will play will be exciting. It will be good for both of us to get out there and test ourselves against each other.

Q. Camila, the pace of shot, is it the type of match you like when you go up against someone like Amanda who clearly strikes the ball really well, lots of pace and lots of power?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, there are similarities, of course, but each player is unique. I think the tactics that I try and implement and that Tyzz and I sit down and work out are different and definitely unique for each player. We try and refine those as best we can and then go out there and try and execute.

I know that my opponent's job is to make me as uncomfortable as possible and try and not allow me to play the game in the way that I want to, and it's the same that goes for me. I just want to make them uncomfortable. I want to put them in positions that are difficult, and that certainly won't be any different playing Amanda.

Of course we'll have some tactical changes like you would in any other match. But go out there and have fun with it and see what we can do.

Q. Your time on court, do you feel fresh, and do you feel that might be advantageous as you progress to Sunday and potentially beyond?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: It is what it is. We spend our days in the practice courts in between matches doing what we need to do in order to feel ready, and obviously playing, it's been a bonus that I have been able to control the matches. Not always do you have matches you're in full control all the time. It's been nice to be able to control those matches.

I feel good. I feel ready and, yeah, we will just continue to do all the right things that we do each and every tournament to give myself the best chance to physically feel good so then we can go out there and try and execute.

Q. What are the next 48 hours like for you as you prepare?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Don't know yet. I'll chat to Tyzz and figure out what time we want to hit tomorrow and see when the schedule comes out Sunday and just prepare accordingly.

Q. Morning sessions, night sessions, do you feel more comfortable with morning or night? Do you have a preference which time you'd like to play?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, I've played a bit of both. Played a couple at night and played one in the day. I think I love to play in the daytime. That's no secret. I've always been a morning person, always been up early, and have grown up playing in the Australian sun. I love it. I love the extra bounce and the heat in the court.

But night sessions here at the Australian Open are really special. The experience and the atmosphere that's created in a night session is absolutely brilliant.

So, I mean, everyone has preferences, but I don't argue either way. I'm happy to play at any given time and get the opportunity to go out there and try and do what I can do, enjoy it, and take it for what it is.

Q. As an Aussie, what do you think of the "siuu" that's going on around matches?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, I don't really understand it. Yeah, not my thing.

Q. Welcome to the second week. I'm just curious, as the World No. 1 with a game style that is built on variety, good serve, you know, you kind of have all the tools and stuff like that. In the past, the women's game has gotten a bit of stick for being, you know, a bit one note, yet here we have a World No. 1 who can do everything. I'm kind of curious what your reaction is a little bit to that in terms of that critique, and kind of hearing that, you know, over the years.

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, I think that's a tricky one, because I think our game has developed. I think the technology and the racquets have developed a lot. You can get a racquet now that is extremely powerful, allows you to swing through a lot of the ball and gives you this flat shape that just gets through the court. Not too many girls would say no to getting kind of extra power and free power from technology. I think the technology and the way the game has moved has been incredible.

And for me, it's just been the challenge of trying to navigate my way through that. I have grown up, I was never the biggest girl growing up, so I had to find different ways to win matches. I was never the strongest or the most powerful, so that gave me more tools to be able to try and nullify that.

As I have gotten a bit older and stronger, I'm able to be a bit more assertive when I need to be, but I know the girls out there can hit a lot bigger than I can. I can accept that and just try and work a way around and make them feel uncomfortable with the tools that I have, because everyone does have unique tools.

But I think certainly the technology and the way the game has developed, I mean, with the string from 20, 30 years ago, it's a different ball game completely. I think that has a lot to do with it.

Q. Following up on that, how much confidence then do you get out of coming out of a match dropping five games to Camila, one of the biggest hitters in the game to -- you know, because your first two matches you were really in control and having to come through that match. How much confidence do you get passing that test to go into the next match against Amanda?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, a unique challenge tonight. It was different to what I'd played in my previous two matches, and having played Camila before, I knew what her ball felt like. I think that's an important part of it is understanding and knowing what's going to come from the other end, most of the time. Obviously things can change and players have the ability to adapt.

But I think tonight I did a really good job of just trying to nullify the areas where Camila could hurt me and I was able to put her in trickier positions of the court that just made it harder for her to hurt me with her weapons, and I think that was a big part of tonight.