ADELAIDE INTERNATIONAL

January 5, 2022

Ashleigh Barty

Press Conference

A. BARTY/C. Gauff

4-6, 7-5, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: A tough first match. Coco pushed you all the way. Thoughts on the match?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, I mean, I felt it was a pretty good level. I think I played better as the match went on.

Yeah, I mean, considering it's a first match in a few months for us, we're happy to get some court time and obviously progress as the match went on, which is nice, find my patterns a little bit more, find the way I wanted to play.

Coco played great, she forced me to lift my level, which is ultimately what we're after in these next few weeks.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Talk a little bit about the adjustments you were able to make midway through the second set down a break, found your forehand, found a few more cheapies.

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, I felt (indiscernible) through the first set. I was able to create opportunities but just was a little bit slack on the execution, rusty in the sense of stringing quality points together. I felt like I would play two or three good ones and then give away two or three cheapies quite quickly, which comes with match practice.

Midway through the second set I was able to find my rhythm a little bit better on serve and just continued to be aggressive on my forehand. I just found execution a little bit more. Like you said, serving getting a little bit better, getting a few more cheapies, allowed me to play with a little bit more freedom towards the end of the second set and the start of the third.

I think it was all in all a good progression. Work to do, without a doubt, but very happy with the level that we started the year with.

Q. You know what Australia has been through in the last 18 months, particularly the people of Victoria. What do you make of the fact Novak is going to play at the Australian Open with a vaccine exemption?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, I think it's a tough one. As we've seen a little bit in the last day or so, from the Australian public, I know how hard it has been for Australians all around our nation, but in particular Victorians have had a real rough trot over the last 18 months and two years. I understand why they may be frustrated with the decision.

Ultimately I have no interest in speaking about Novak's medical history. It's not my decision. Those decisions are made. They're completely out of my control. Ultimately I have no interest in speaking about it.

Q. Your thoughts on how reassuring it is you were able to lift when you were challenged in such a tight situation, especially a couple weeks out from a Grand Slam?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, the first match of the year is always a tricky one. You're a little bit unsure of how you're going to play and how you're going to get into that flow of matches, because it is very different under match conditions.

We were happy with the level tonight. There is work to do. We'll keep chipping away each day to try to feel more comfortable on the court. All and all pretty happy with the way we were able to shift through the gears tonight and ultimately kind of leave the court after a really good third set feeling quite confident.

Q. You said before the tournament you wanted to be patient with yourself, kind to yourself, given how long you'd been off. Seemed like you were able to manage the expectations well. Still some smiles, seemed to be relaxed out there. In terms of grading yourself on that metric, how did you feel?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: I felt like I had good clarity throughout the whole match. A lot of it just felt like execution. I knew I had to allow myself some space in that execution and know that it wasn't going to be perfect, probably be far from the level I really want to bring.

But we work with what we've got. It's a little bit head down, bum up, keep continuing to try and figure out the match, don't get lost, don't get away from what's happening. I think that clarity tonight was really good.

Ultimately I felt like I was able to tactically move my way through the match really well and get it back to my patterns more regularly.

Q. How much were you chomping at the bit getting on court, the excitement level, the fact that you haven't played a match for nearly four months? With that, is there also an element you had to keep a bit of a lid on things and not get overexcited?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Yeah, I'm not really ever one to get over, over excited, but I was certainly really, really happy to be able to have an opportunity tonight to go out there and just see where my level was at.

Once we got here and warmed up, it was nice to kind of fall straight back into that routine of preparing for a match.

Hearing the crowd when we walked out there, it was going to be a lot of fun tonight. I think all in all, really happy with how we played, the level we started with. We'll just at this point try and grow and get better each and every match, each and every opportunity.

Q. The last time you played Coco was in different conditions, and you had to retire. Did that enter your mind at all walking out onto court?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Not at all, no.

Q. You've obviously had a lot of success in Australia leading into Australian Opens probably four years running now. What do you like to see from yourself leading into a Grand Slam? A lot of matches? Particular things in your game? What is your ideal scenario leading into a Grand Slam?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: I've learnt along the way all of the lead-ins are unique. Sometimes when we're feeling the best and probably the most prepared, the outcome and the result isn't always what we wanted. Other times you feel completely under-done and unsure of what to expect, the best results come.

I've learnt along the way to take every day as it comes, prepare as we're preparing, do what we can, know a Grand Slam is just another event, you have another opportunity to go out there and play.

There's no real need to put an extra emphasis on it just because it's a Grand Slam. It's about sticking to our process, what we know works for us, keeping it nice and light, just enjoying it.

Q. You've entered into two tournaments leading in. Is that one of the things you like to see, a lot of matches?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: Anytime you can go deep in matches it's great. Obviously playing here in Australia, I love to play as much as I can. It's home. This is where I want to play. I'd love to be selfish and play the whole year here. Anytime I get a chance to play in Australia, I love to play, I love to enjoy it.

It's a good preparation for the Australian Open. Whether I only get a couple matches or I get a few more, it really doesn't matter in the way that I prepare in those couple days leading up to first round.

Q. Throughout all of the last years, in your comeback particularly, you've been open about separating results from how you feel on court, how much enjoyment you're getting out of the sport. As someone who is a prodigy, had a lot of that pressure, what was the key to be able to make that separation? Is it something as simple as a switch that you can flick or experience and age?

ASHLEIGH BARTY: I wish it was that easy. I wish it was the flick of a switch.

I think with the learnings and maturity and kind of the experience, it helps. But for me, I felt like I also had to grow a lot as a person and kind of understand what I wanted to get out of myself and separate that from the tennis player.

I think my dreams and my goals as a human being are very different to that of an athlete. I think being able to separate that, know that the outcomes or the results from my personal life or my professional life don't collide and don't interfere with each other. That was a really important thing I've learnt over the last couple years.

I've learnt that from the people that are around me. I'm extremely fortunate to have such good people that have taught me incredible values that I live by both personally and professionally, but I have the separation of the outcome and the results.

For us it's all been a learning, it has been trial and error. We have had some setbacks like everyone does. But we pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and continue to grow each and every time. It's been a process, without a doubt.