MELBOURNE (Reuters) – World primary Ash Barty will as soon as once more bear the brunt of her nation’s hopes for a home champion at the Australian Open, promising solely she’s going to give her “finest crack” at ending the 44-year drought.
Having claimed her second main title at Wimbledon final yr, Barty will likely be beneath large strain to ship at the yr’s first Grand Slam, the place no Australian has received since Chris O’Neil claimed the ladies’s title in 1978 at Kooyong.
“I am unable to do any greater than I can strive. That’s all I can do. If it would not occur, it would not occur,” the 25-year-old informed reporters at Melbourne Park on Saturday.
“I simply should hope that everybody understands that I’m giving it my finest crack. It would not all the time work out precisely the way you need to.
“But you go about it the fitting means, you do the fitting issues and try to give your self the most effective probability, that is all you are able to do.
“That goes for all the opposite Aussies as properly, everybody else within the draw. They’re making an attempt to try this factor again and again and over, do the fitting issues and provides themselves the possibility.”
Barty has despatched Australia right into a frenzy by going deep within the match over the previous three years however ended up leaving them wanting extra.
1 / 4-finalist in 2019, Barty tore by means of the attract 2020 however suffered a shock semi-final loss to eventual winner Sofia Kenin.
She was in imperious type final yr till overhauled in three units within the quarter-finals by unheralded Czech Karolina Muchova, one of the larger shocks of the match.
“I’ve had some fairly powerful classes, but additionally some unbelievable moments (in Australia),” mentioned Barty, who faces a difficult opening spherical in opposition to qualifier Lesia Tsurenko, a former U.S. Open quarter-finalist.
“Hopefully that places me in good stead, for one more yr, one other crack right here, and we simply preserve going.”
(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
