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Ash Barty’s temperament is no frills. The Australian underestimated an art form. Modesty is in his bones, and the world No. 1 can’t imagine how you would expect a world No. 1.
His current tennis, however, as we would expect, is packed with all the technical amenities, a backhand slice spraying glitter and a net game enriched with embellishments.
Barty is no frills, but with all the frills. At Wimbledon, she even wears them on her skirt, a tribute to the Indigenous trailblazer she’s set to emulate.
Evonne Goolagong Cawley wore a scalloped hem over her regulation whites when the Wiradjuri woman first won the All England Club in 1971. In 2021, on the 50th birthday, Barty – an Ngaragu woman – is three games away. do the same thing .
The first will come against Ajla Tomljanovic. Perhaps rightly so, this is the first time two Australians have met in the Wimbledon quarter-finals since Cawley beat Wendy Turnbull in straight sets in 1980.
It’s also a moment to savor, as Australia are assured of a women’s semi-finalist at this tournament, a feat unmatched since 2000 when Jelena Dokic lost to American Lindsay Davenport.
“Obviously it’s amazing for Australian tennis,” Barty said after losing in the round of 16 to Roland Garros champion Barbora Krejcikova. “I was delighted to see Ajla spending the second week here for her first time at Wimbledon.”
Barty, too, is on virgin ground, never having made it past the fourth round. Her triumph at Roland Garros in 2019 made the 25-year-old from Ipswich the second Australian to reach the top of the WTA rankings. The first one? Cawley, over four decades ago.
The couple have been friends for more than a decade and Barty counts the 69-year-old, who won 14 Grand Slam titles, including seven in singles, as a mentor.
“I think I am exceptionally proud to be able to call [Goolagong Cawley] a friend and a mentor, so that he can share his legacy, ”Barty said last week. “For me, being able to pay tribute to that on a really special anniversary is something I will never forget.”
On center court Tuesday (in the early hours of Wednesday morning back in Australia), Barty will meet Tomljanovic, 75th in the table, who won over Emma Raducanu, after leading 6-3, 3-0 before the teenager Briton retires with a breathing problem.
“I’m just happy to share the pitch with Ash tomorrow,” said Tomljanovic, who has never reached the last eight of a major in his previous 26 attempts. “I always speak so loudly about her because that’s what I really think. Tomorrow I know I’m going to have to bring all I have to potentially win.
“And just the whole center court environment – I think it’s going to be special no matter what. When I hear about history with other players, I always think it’s really cool. I was never able to be a part of it. When I look back, I’ll be in this little group.
Barty holds the advantage, not only because of his exceptional play, but also because Tomljanovic’s last game ended almost seven hours later than Barty’s.
Both had been scheduled on Court 1 with Barty playing first and Tomljanovic and Raducanu were forced to wait for this game plus a four hour, five-set men’s epic between Felix Auger Aliassime and Alexander Zverev. The lineup has elicited negative reactions as it leaves the first much less time to recuperate.
Of course, nothing is guaranteed, but this is perhaps the most open path for Barty’s title, given that Naomi Osaka and Simona Halep are not in competition, Serena Williams was forced to retire on first round injury and Krejcikova is taken care of.
“I mean, I played Ash. Ash is amazing,” said the Czech world number 17. “She can play. She’s No 1. She’s there for a reason. She belongs in it.
“But the game was actually very close and I had my chances. I just haven’t converted them. Against a player like Ash, you actually have to convert everything.
Angelique Kerber and Karolína Muchová stay on Barty’s side. On the other hand, second seed Aryna Sabalenka and eighth seed Karolína Plíšková stand out as the biggest challenges.
“I love coming here and playing against the best in the world, and there is definitely nowhere I prefer to be at the moment,” Barty said after Krejcikova’s game. “I’m happy, I’m excited. It’s another stepping stone for me. This is another first, I guess.
“It’s a new situation, a new storyline and a storyline that I’m going to look forward to and enjoy no matter what. It’s a stepping stone to one of my biggest dreams. We just keep cutting back.
No frills, with all the frills.
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