MELBOURNE • World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty is itching to get back to competitive tennis at the Australian Open but has poured cold water on the idea that she might be set to end the 43-year wait for a home-grown women’s champion.
The 2019 French Open champion reached the semi-finals at Melbourne Park for the first time last year before sitting out most of the season at home because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The 24-year-old remains Australia’s best hope of singles success when the year’s first Grand Slam starts on Feb 8 but Barty urged her compatriots not to get their hopes up.
“They can think whatever they like. If they expect me to win the tournament, then that’s their expectations,” she told the Australian Associated Press.
“But mine certainly aren’t that for now. It’s about doing the right things right from the start, from the very first match.”
She last played a competitive match at the Qatar Open in February, deciding to remain in Queensland rather than travel to New York for the US Open or to Paris to defend her French Open title.
“It’s going to be a challenge,” she added. “I feel ready to go and I’m just itching to get started.”
As she has not left Australia, she is not required to undergo a two-week quarantine and will play an exhibition event in Adelaide on Friday before going to Melbourne.
One case of Covid-19 among those in quarantine ahead of the hard-court Major has been reclassified, local health officials said yesterday, leaving nine active cases in the group of players and staff isolating in Melbourne hotels.
Most of the 970 people in the Australian Open quarantine hotels have entered their second week of the 14-day isolation period with the first arrivals due to be freed from lockdown on Friday.
While most have been allowed out to train for five hours a day, 72 have been confined to their rooms after the positive cases on the charter flights to Australia.
Tennis Australia said in a statement yesterday that the tournament build-up had been revamped after “extensive consultation” to help give the 72 affected players “the best possible preparation and training opportunities”.
A third WTA 500 event will run from Feb 3-7 for players who have been unable to train, while the two original events will go ahead with reduced draw sizes. The two ATP 250 events will start 24 hours later, next Monday, and each feature an increased singles main draw size of 56. The ATP Cup will also be delayed 24 hours to Feb 2.
Four players were among the cases initially reported as being associated with the tennis but only Spain’s Paula Badosa has confirmed that she tested positive.
Three of the nine cases were on Saturday revealed to be for the more transmissible coronavirus variant first detected in the United Kingdom. According to local media, that news scuppered plans to allow the players to associate in groups of up to four, rather than two.
REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE