‘Darkest times’ inspired Ash Barty’s Wimbledon crusade

Australian tennis star Ash Barty will finally get an opportunity this weekend to fulfil her childhood dream and become a Wimbledon champion, an achievement that has been 10 years in the making.

Barty defeated 2018 champion Angelique Kerber in straight sets overnight to book her spot in the tournament decider, where she will take on Czech star Karolina Pliskova.

She becomes the first Australian woman to make the Wimbledon final since the legendary Evonne Goolagong Cawley achieved the feat in 1980.

“It was almost a moment of relief, a moment of pure excitement,” Barty said of the winning moment.

“It was something that I never knew if I would feel.

“If you told me a month ago we’d be sitting in this position, I really wouldn’t have thought that we would even get close.

“I think it’s pretty special what we’ve been able to do the last month.”

A hip injury ended Barty’s French Open campaign last month, and the world No. 1 conceded the short turnaround almost robbed her of a stint at Wimbledon.

“I think we had 23 or 24 days in between finishing up in Paris and my first round here. To be honest, it was going to be touch-and-go,” Barty said.

“Everything had to be spot on to give myself a chance to play pain-free and to play knowing that I could trust my body. I’m extremely fortunate to have my team around me. They’re the best in the business.”

Ashleigh Barty will play Karolina Pliskova in Saturday’s final.Source:AFP

Two years ago, Barty arrived in Wimbledon as the No. 1 seed having just clinched her maiden grand slam singles title at the 2019 French Open.

But the Queenslander was bungled out in the fourth round following a shock defeat to unseeded American Alison Riske.

It came after an early third-round exit from the 2018 tournament.

Although she described these as some of the “toughest” losses of her professional career, Barty considers them vital learning experiences.

“Wimbledon for me has been an amazing place of learning,” she told reporters on Friday morning AEST.

“Ten years ago I came here for the first time as a junior and learned a lot in that week.

“Probably 2018, 2019 was some of my toughest weeks playing. To come away with our losses in those two tournaments, I learned a hell of a lot from those two times.

“A lot of the time, your greatest growth comes from your darkest times. That’s why this tournament has been so important to me. I’ve learned so much with all my experiences – the good, bad, everything in between I’ve been able to learn from.

“Just to be able to keep chipping away, keep putting yourself out there, let yourself be vulnerable, just be yourself, knowing that everything that comes with that is an opportunity to learn. That’s been a massive one for us this fortnight.”

Ash Barty after winning the Wimbledon Junior Championships in 2011.Source:AP

Ash Barty with Evonne Goolagong Cawley.Source:News Limited

A decade on from her triumph in the Wimbledon Junior Championships, Barty still takes inspiration from her successful stint in SW19 as a young teen.

“I’ve drawn from the experience of playing here in juniors,” she said. “Each and every time I walk back to these courts, I have incredible memories that come flooding back.

“I think each and every time you have the opportunity to play at Wimbledon, it’s a feeling of gratitude and opportunity and excitement. Having that feeling when I walk through the gates of the All England Club for the first time when I was 15, that feeling is still the same each and every day I walk through the gates now. That hasn’t changed.

“I think having that excitement about an event, having the pure enjoyment about an event, is what makes Wimbledon so special.”

Barty registered 38 winners and 16 unforced errors in Thursday’s semi-final, saving five of six break points.

There were plenty of twists and momentum swings in the match but Barty peaked when it mattered, steamrolling her way over Kerber in the second set tie-break to keep alive her childhood dream of holding the Venus Rosewater Dish aloft.

The 25-year-old is looking to become the first No. 1 seed to win Wimbledon since American superstar Serena Williams in 2016.

She is also aiming to become the fourth junior Wimbledon champion to win the Venus Rosewater Dish in the Open Era, joining Ann Jones, Martina Hingis and Amelie Mauresmo.

– with James Matthey

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