Australian Open 2020: Ash Barty baby press conference criticised
Ash Barty has been accused of dodging the tough questions after her straight sets Australian Open exit – with an Aussie legend labelling her decision to bring a baby to her press conference as a regrettable PR stunt.
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Ash Barty has been accused of “deflecting” after her semi-final loss, using her baby niece to avoid the “tough questions” in the fallout from her boilover loss.
The world No. 1 said having 12-week old Olivia with her in the wake of her 7-6 7-5 loss to American Sofia Kenin – who will face Garbine Muguruza in Saturday night’s final – had provided “perspective”, but Australian tennis great Mark Woodforde isn’t into what has been labelled a “tactic”.
“It did (seem like a PR stunt),” Woodforde told Fox Sports News on Friday.
“She’s a lovely young lady, we talk about how all Australians are embracing Ash because she’s so humble and down to earth, but yes, I felt like maybe it was a way of deflecting some of the tough questions.
“As number one player in the world, the press want to know when you lose a match, why you’ve lost a match, they want you to bare your soul.”
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He said the move could have been a way for Barty to help herself get through the hours after the devastating loss.
“Ash has spoken over the tournament she’s kind of sick of seeing her face on the billboards and the front pages,” he said.
“To try and explain what happened out there – I think having her niece sit on her knee was a way of maybe just healing some of those wounds … very unusual, maybe she’ll learn next time.
“That’s not to say not to do it, but it was a bit questionable.”
Woodforde’s views were shared by three tennis commentators on The Tennis Podcast.
“I don’t think the baby should have been in there,” said David Law.
“I think it is a place of work. It’s an office space. We are there to ask questions and, as lovely a sight as it was on one hand, it’s not really what’s supposed to go on.”
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Fellow presenter Matt Roberts said it “felt like a deflection”.
“I don’t necessarily think it has to be a conscious thought and I think she can have had that thought process in a less sinister way than perhaps we would see it,” said Catherine Whitaker, who joked the baby was acting as a ‘human shield’ to avoid tough questions.
“She just thinks, ‘This is a distraction for me’ — but the thing is, it’s also a distraction for everybody else and not very helpful.
“It’s not appropriate in the workplace. I don’t think that makes her a terrible person for doing it — somebody should have stopped her doing it, probably.