The extreme measures Ash Barty took to avoid Covid ahead of Australian Open victory

So hellbent on ensuring she could compete in the Australia Open, Ash Barty has detailed the extreme lengths she went to in a bid to avoid contracting the coronavirus.

Ash Barty lived like a hermit in Melbourne to avoid Covid ruining her Australian Open campaign.

The new champion has revealed the extreme lengths she went to over the past fortnight as the Omicron virus spread throughout Victoria.

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Barty said she put herself into isolation with fiance Garry Kissick and mother Rosie, venturing out only for takeaway coffees and training.

“We were pretty careful. I was staying with Garry and my mum and we were pretty much in lockdown,” she said.

“We didn’t leave, we would just go in the morning and get a takeaway coffee. We didn’t go to any restaurants, we didn’t go out anywhere.

Ash Barty took extreme measures to avoid getting Covid during the Australaian Open. Picture: Getty Images

“So it has been two weeks of hermit life and I don’t have a problem with it.

“It was a pretty quiet two weeks just to eliminate the risk. We were just careful about it and didn’t want to add any risk unnecessarily.”

A number of players, including Australia’s Nick Kyrgios and men’s finalist Rafael Nadal, had their preparations interrupted by Covid.

Barty says her team has been proactive with their protocols in dealing with Covid over the past 18 months when travelling overseas.

“From the start, even all of our extended team, we just tried to do the right thing like we’d done the last 18 months,” she said.

“Just not be silly with it and just not add any extra unnecessary risk. It was only for a couple of weeks and now we can do what we want.”

Ash Barty lets the champagne fly the day after her Australian Open win.

The three-time grand slam winner revealed she had to twist the arm of her father Robert to make the trip south from Queensland for Saturday night’s final.

“After the semi-final I called my Dad and told him he was going to come down,” Barty said. “He was a bit umming and ahhing about it but I said,’ Nah, you’re going to come down’.

“It was the same for my sisters (Sarah and Ali) as mum was down here the whole time.

“It would have killed me if they weren’t here just because they were so close and I would never have forgiven myself if they weren’t able to share it with us.”

Coach’s shock revelation after Barty’s historic win

Ash Barty won’t complete a career grand slam at the US Open unless there is a change of balls used for women’s singles. That‘s the stunning prediction from Barty’s coach Craig Tyzzer in the wake of her watershed Australian Open triumph. Barty has joined Serena Williams as the only active women’s player to have won majors on clay, grass and hard courts with her home slam breakthrough.

But the world No. 1 can’t contend for the US Open title under the current playing conditions according to her coach.
Wilson balls are used in both men’s and women’s events at Flushing Meadows but a lighter and less fluffy version are used for women’s competition.
Barty suffered a shock third-round loss to world No. 43 Shelby Rogers at the US Open last year, the Queenslanders only defeat in her past 19 hardcourt outings.

Ash Barty would need a change of ball at the US Open to complete a career Grand Slam, her coach says.

She had won events on the surface in Miami and Cincinnati last year before having her struggles in New York.
“The US Open really needs to change the ball for the girls. The fact they still use a different ball for guys and girls, it’s a terrible ball for someone like Ash,” Tyzzer said.
“Even in Cincinnati, when they use the US Open ball outside, she could actually get some loft out of the court.
“But the ball itself is so light. It was the only tournament last year and really for two years where she uses gut racquet (strings) but I had to change her to a poly just to get any sort of control of the ball.
“If they keep that ball the same, no one like Ash will win that tournament.”

He said there was no coincidence that two unseeded players were the shock finalists, British qualifier Emma Radacanu and unseeded Canadian Leylah Fernandez, last September.

“You see the result at the US Open, it was two players who, you go, ‘Wow, that was, two different players won that?’ There’s no surprise when the ball is like it is,” he said.

“And I don’t know the reason why it’s the only tournament that has separate balls for the guys and girls.

“So if they don’t change the balls, she (Barty) won’t win the US Open.”

Ash Barty talks with coach Craig Tyzzer during a training session.

Tyzzer, who has been with Barty since her return to the game in 2016, revealed he‘d always thought her first major title would come on a hard court.

Instead he was pleasantly surprised it came on clay at the 2019 French Open with the second coming on the grass of Wimbledon last year.

“I always thought her first win, in a grand slam, would be on a hard court,” Tyzzer said.

“But typical for her she proved me wrong and she won on clay first and then grass and then now hard court.“ It‘s amazing that she’s been able to do it. It’s pretty impressive.

“I think we’ve all got to sit back and just look at what she’s been able to do on different surfaces and just her ability to play the level of tennis that she does.“ I mean, sometimes I‘m just in awe of it.”