Ash Barty had not played tournament tennis for 12 months and form fluctuations were to be expected. That fact was forgotten somewhat as her game spiked and Australian hopes of the first local champion in 43 years soared.
Still, she blew a "perfect" chance to win the Australian Open in an unwanted flashback to her former self, a pair of Aussie tennis greats believe.
World No.1 Barty lost her Open quarter-final to 25th seed Karolina Muchova on Wednesday, imploding after her rival took a medical time-out. She led 6-1 2-1 (with a second set break) but her game badly unravelled after a 10-minute halt of play and she was defeated 6-1 3-6 2-6.
Barty had a dream draw through to a final against either Naomi Osaka or Serena Williams, to no avail. She took full responsibility for the loss despite controversy over the crucial time-out, saying that she should have handled the curveball better.
"Ash was in a commanding position, got a little bit frustrated and that theme carried through," Barty's Billie Jean King Cup captain, Alicia Molik, said on Wide World of Sports' The Morning Serve.
Watch the Australian Open with live streams of every court at 9Now. Click here to start watching!
"But for Ash Barty, at the same time – look, she hasn't played for 12 months. So experiencing a topsy-turvy match, in terms of being under pressure, is something that she hasn't felt for a very long time. I think it will take her a run of tournaments to really overcome those types of feelings."
Yet Molik added: "I feel like Ash was ready to win this and in the right form to win this. She'd pulled out of the doubles early, with Jen Brady; they won a match. So everything was pointing her in the right direction.
"If form wasn't quite there, you'd have doubts, but I really felt like mentally, physically, preparation-wise as well, it was pretty perfect for her. The week prior, she beat [Garbine] Muguruza in the final, it was a very measured approach to the start of the summer and she came in here with a bang.
"She played phenomenal tennis right at the start of the Australian Open and she played an opponent (Muchova) who wasn't scared, who wasn't fearful, who wasn't outdone by Ash. It's as real credit to Muchova because she found a way to win. She just stepped her game up, she didn't turn into a shadow of herself, she really went after her."
Australian doubles legend Todd Woodbridge said that Barty should have been able to handle the time-out situation better, with the fadeout a throwback to her younger days. He agreed that Barty's long absence from competitive tennis due to the COVID-19 pandemic was likely a key factor.
"Ash is the No.1 player in the world. She really should have been able to deal with it," Woodbridge told Wide World of Sports.
"What then happened is she was completely unable to stop the momentum going the other way and that was a little bit to me what we knew of a younger Ash before she reached these heights. Sometimes against the bigger players she wasn't able to hold that momentum.
"The reason I would see that happening now is time away from the game. It is very very hard for anyone to be able to compete at the highest levels under these sorts of expectations at the back end of massive tournaments when it's not as instinctive.
"She's still reacting because she hasn't played 50 matches through the season, she's only played nine matches. That's why it's important to keep playing and everything becomes interest in the bank for these big moments and you instinctively do things correctly and you don't even think about them.
"I think [Wednesday] there was a moment when inwardness and thought processes got caught up, and when you go inwards it is very difficult to play at your best. You play your best when you're looking down the other end and the court is open and free and you're on the front foot."
Molik said that the shock loss would likely stick with Barty.
"There's no question she'll probably be disheartened and disappointed," Molik said.
"I'm pretty sure Ash is playing here and believing she can win the Australian Open. To fall at the quarter-finals, I really felt she is playing well enough to win it.
"She believed it. She's been feeling it, she's shown it with her form. I think it will be devastating for her but at the same time, if any player can have perspective, she's normally one that's able to draw upon it.
"We're still in lockdown here, so there's no catching up with your team or coach for a dinner to share some time. But there's no question they'll debrief and it's a long, long year ahead."
How much of the WTA Tour Barty plays this year remains to be seen, with the pandemic still in full swing outside of Australia. Woodbridge said that he early-season form should hold the 2019 French Open champion in good stead.
"She's into the quarter-finals comfortably here and really, if you look at that match-up [against Muchova], she should be in a semi," he said.
"But these are all positive signs. There's that disappointment of not doing it at your home Slam but she's got every opportunity of doing it away.
"I think she's got to keep going, keep playing and set some targeted goals about achieving more, because I think she's capable of winning multiple Slams in her career and that means really defining her goals so there's no stone left unturned.
"She's going to play for a period of time and give her absolute best because I think she'll eventually want to say, 'Thanks, I've done what I can do' and sail off into the sunset.
"What I like about Ash is she's her own person. She has written her own story and she hasn't let other people make those sorts of decisions for her.
"That in itself is why she's got to No.1 and why she's won a Slam because she's very strong-willed underneath."
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.