Jim Courier compared the slice Ashleigh Barty’s backhand this Australian Open with Roger Federer’s. The Australian was the first to dismiss that comparison, but the American ex-tennis player had a point.
It’s that backhand, a felled velvet ball, that the world’s No. 1 uses just like Federer. It gives her a big edge over the competition. A low, slow ball – straight, cross, short, long – makes her unpredictable. That’s exactly how she wants to play, she said.
Barty is always thinking about how to make her opponent feel as uncomfortable as possible on the tennis court. That’s what that cut ball takes care of, which is technically difficult to execute.
In a sport where every year is beaten harder, she stops the time during the rally with her slice, where opponents beat themselves. Opponents have to bend their knees to get the ball over the net.
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“I like to use my slice, to be creative with it and use it offensively or defensively,” Barty says of her special shot. “I’ve learned that it really is a weapon for me. The success of the past few years is partly because I can vary and have different options in my game.”
A good ‘kick service’
She also has a very good kick service – a slower serve with a lot of topspin – which is uncommon in the top of women’s tennis. The fact that with her modest 1.66 meters she gets so much effect in the ball, shows how talented she is. “I mainly use my serve for my second ball. It’s not about hitting as hard as you can. It’s about placement and thinking about how I can construct the rest of the point.”
The versatility makes Barty a traditional and versatile player who, in addition to her ‘soft’ weapons, also ‘just’ has a very hard forehand.
Since the former top talent took a two-year break because she couldn’t handle the pressure, she has been reborn on the track. She tries to keep the pressure down. She rarely watches tennis, plays some cricket with her coaching team before her matches in the catacombs of the Rod Laver Arena, and tries to enjoy herself.
Since the former top talent took a two-year break because she couldn’t handle the pressure, she has been reborn on the track
High expectations
That approach helps the humble Barty live up to expectations. Well-known Australian tennis players such as Lleyton Hewitt and Patrick Rafter failed to down under to win their own Grand Slam.
Against the surprising American finalist Danielle Collins (28) on Saturday in Melbourne, Barty proved that she can fight and ‘switch’ in a match. In the second set, Collins – who is reminiscent of tennis icon Andre Agassi with her flashy returns – apparently got used to Barty’s softer backhands. Then the Australian clever used her harder double-handed variant.
With that, Barty fought back from a 1-5 deficit in the second set. In the tiebreak, the home crowd shouted her to the win. Collins had played the entire tournament full of fighting spirit, but then seemed broken. Barty won the final 6-3, 7-6. She didn’t lose a set in the entire tournament. Chris O’Neill (65), the Australian who had won the tournament in 1978, watched Barty write history from the stands.
“I’m so proud to be an Australian,” Barty said at a packed stadium. After Roland Garros (2019) and Wimbledon (2021), the Australian Open is her third grand slam victory. Since 2019 she has been the number 1 in the world.
The slice backhand symbolizes the way Barty has ruled women’s tennis ever since. She does so gently for the time being. But if she maintains this high level, she could become the first player since Serena Williams (40) to rule women’s tennis for an extended period of time.