Ashleigh Barty feels exciting about Olympic Games debut in Tokyo
Returning to tennis after a much-needed break, Ashleigh Barty started all over in 2016 and with rather significant steps, finishing in the top-20 in 2017 and 2018 and attacking the WTA throne in the season behind us. Ashleigh kicked off the action with the final run in Sydney and the quarter-final at the Australian Open, failing to go all the way in front of the home crowd but gathering confidence for the rest of the year. In March, Barty conquered the crown in Miami and found herself in the top-10 for the first time, leading Australia towards the Fed Cup final with a triumph over Belarus in April and becoming the first player with six triumphs in live rubbers in the first two World Group ties.
Ashleigh saved her best tennis for Roland Garros, scoring seven victories to claim the first Major crown and adding another Premier title to her tally in Birmingham, becoming the favorite for the year-end no. 1 position. The Aussie became world no. 1 ahead of Wimbledon, staying there the most of the time despite not playing that well at the All England Club and after, suffering losses in the semi-final in Cincinnati and Wuhan and the final in Beijing before heading to Shenzhen for the WTA Finals. There, Barty claimed the title to confirm the year-end no. 1 status and cement her position on the WTA throne ahead of 2020 season and home events in Australia where she wants to chance more glory, especially at the Australian Open.
Despite falling short in the Fed Cup final against France in Perth, Ashleigh claimed the third-straight Newcombe Medal award on Monday night, spending more time off the court before starting working on preparations for the new season, hoping to show her best tennis in front of the home fans. Also, Ashleigh would love to fight for the medal at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, eager to make the best possible debut at the Olympics and try to earn glory for Australia.
"I actually really haven't set goals yet," said Barty. "We are still a few weeks away from really knuckling down and kind of setting out our plans, we want to make sure we have time to rest and celebrate the year that was. It's been nice to have a little bit of separation from my team as well. We're in each other's pockets all year round, so it's always nice as well to be able to just relax.. and for everyone to spend time with their family. I'm really excited to hopefully be a part of my very first Olympics. It could make the year extra special."
from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2rfpyRp
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