Ash Barty’s revealing answer to Novak Djokovic question

Ash Barty has provided a revealing insight into the mentality of top-level players after being asked about Novak Djokovic’s Tokyo tantrum.

Tennis star Ash Barty played a straight bat when asked about Novak Djokovic’s temper tantrum in Tokyo, but gave some more revealing insights about the pressures faced by elite-level athletes as mental health continues to be a hot topic at the Olympics.

Barty and John Peers won bronze in the mixed doubles when Djokovic pulled out before the match citing a shoulder issue, meaning he and Serbian partner Nina Stojanovic didn’t take the court to fight for a medal.

The withdrawal came after Djokovic lost his cool during a defeat to Pablo Carreno Busta in the men’s singles bronze medal match. The world No. 1 hurled his racquet into empty stands in disgust at one point and smashed it at another stage, bringing back memories of his disqualification from last year’s US Open when he struck a ball that hit a line official in the throat.

Asked for their thoughts on Djokovic’s singles outburst in a press conference on Sunday, Barty and Peers both dead-batted the question.

“I think you’ll have to ask him that one. Obviously he’s been through a lot over the last month or two but that’s certainly a question for him more than us,” Barty said.

Peers added: “I think you’ve just got to ask Novak those questions. We can’t speak to what he’s going through.”

Speaking more broadly about the pressures faced by athletes, Barty said every individual is different and couldn’t compare her situation to Djokovic, who has won all three grand slam titles this year. He’s seeking a historic clean sweep of all the majors at the US Open, but his dream of a Golden Slam – all four majors and Olympic gold – has been dashed.

Barty couldn’t put herselves in Djokovic’s shoes, but revealed how she copes with the pressures of being world No. 1.

“I think everyone’s in a unique circumstance. I think everyone goes through different feelings and different pressures on the court,” Barty said.

“I know Novak is certainly in a league above myself as to what he’s aiming for. He’s aiming for the Grand Slam this year, it hasn’t been done since Rod Laver a long, long time ago so I think that’s pretty special what he’s going for.

“But it’s really hard for me to comment on what he’s feeling just generally because I don’t know what that feels like.

Our Aussie tennis stars were thrilled with bronze.

“But I think for me, I continue to work on it with my team, my mental health, my mental focus, my composure – all of that is a massive part of my game as much as it is hitting tennis balls. It’s a part of my game we try to focus on, we try to develop, we try and grow and learn every single time we’re on the court.

“But it’s also very unique to each player so it’s hard for me to comment on anyone else. I just know from my experiences I try to learn as much as I can at every opportunity – the good, the bad and the in-between – every single experience I have on the tennis court is a learning opportunity and I think I take that as regularly as I can.

“We talk through it, we have a really open line of communication with my team and that’s a massive part of my game.”

Earlier in the week American gymnastics superstar Simone Biles pulled out of the USA’s team event because of mental health issues, and has withdrawn from further events since. This week Djokovic said: “Pressure is a privilege. Without pressure there is no professional sport.

“If you are aiming to be at the top of the game, you better start learning how to deal with pressure and how to cope with those moments.”

Barty was quizzed about those comments in her press conference and whether saying pressure is a privilege, then losing your cool during a tennis match as Djokovic did, was at “opposite ends of the spectrum”.

Djokovic lost his cool in the medal match. (Photo by Tiziana Fabi / AFP).

“Absolutely pressure is privilege,” Barty said. “When you’re an athlete in a really stressful environment at times, it’s challenging, it can be heartbreaking but it can also be euphoric.

“I think finding that balance at times is on a knife’s edge and I think you have to be able to push yourself to that Nth degree, to know what they both feel like.

“At times everyone has their limit, that’s natural, that’s why we’re all human beings and being able to find that limit, to push that limit time and time again is what makes the greatest the greatest, and what makes these really special achievements extra special.”

While winning their final match by default wasn’t the way Barty and Peers wanted to secure their medal, the reigning Wimbledon champion firmly believes the pair deserved bronze, even it if arrived in unusual fashion.

Barty knows better than most about dealing with pressure (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images).

“We obviously wanted to have the challenge of playing one of the best nations in the world and we definitely back ourselves in no matter what,” Barty said. “We came really close to being in the gold medal match today but it wasn’t meant to be.

“We definitely deserved to be in the bronze medal match and to be able to come away in the end with a bronze medal for our nation is the result that we wanted. So regardless of whether we got on the court or not I feel we really deserve it.”

Peers agreed with his partner. “We were ready to go and no matter who the opponent was going to be, we were ready and raring to go,’ he said.

“We were focused and ready to put our best foot forward and walk away with bronze. It was very unique and unfortunate circumstances that we didn’t get to play but we still get to walk away with bronze so we’re still very excited about the result.”

Originally published as Ash Barty’s revealing answer to Novak Djokovic question