Ash Barty result: Medical time-out against Karolina Muchova will haunt her
Medical time-outs have a long history of eyebrow raising with many using it as a tactic. When Karolina Muchova left the court against Ash Barty, all hell broke loose.
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Let’s cut to the chase. Is it cheating?
That’s the question every Australian sports fan is asking as they digest Ash Barty completely losing her mojo after her opponent took a 10-minute medical time-out which changed the entire complexion of the quarter-final.
Medical time-outs in tennis have a long history of eyebrow raising with many using it as a tactic rather than a legitimate need to attend an injury.
Karolina Muchova was gone for all money, cooked, put a fork in her, all of those cliches when at 1-6 1-2 she called for the doctor.
They looked at her neck and then escorted her off Rod Laver Arena for further examination.
Muchova had come into the tournament with an abdominal injury but this wasn’t related. She claimed she was dizzy, her pulse was running and that she was “lost” on court.
The medical staff placed ice on her head and shoulders underneath the stand and 10 minutes later the Czech emerged as a cross between Steffi Graf and Martina Navratilova.
She then proceeded to break Barty’s serve and win 11 of the next 14 games.
Jim Courier summed it up perfectly in the commentary booth: “I tell you what, if I’m ever having a bad day, I’m calling that WTA trainer to help. Miracle worker. It’s incredible.”
Alongside him Sam Smith knew the storm that was about to hit: “Unfortunately, we’re going to be talking a lot more about the big break early on in that second set for the medical than some of the wonderful play out there.”
Barty’s close friend Casey Dellacqua was trying to bite her tongue when asked for her opinion on the Channel 9 coverage.
“We were all convinced that she (Barty) was on track to win the match,” Dellacqua said. “I agree, I think there will be a few questions asked around the medical timeout.
“(It was) all legally fine in regards to the match. She said she felt dizzy and then came back out but whatever they did for her it really helped.”
So it is controversial? Yes. Cheating? Hmmmm, probably not.
“It’s completely within the rules for her to take it,” was Barty’s take afterwards.
But where does it fit in the sportsmanship debate?
Was it more a mental break than an injury break? Muchova almost said as much after the biggest win of her career.
“I start to feel a bit lost by the end of the first set, she played almost like no mistakes,” Muchova said. “It was very tough and I was a bit lost on the court and my head was spinning so I took a break. It helped me.”
So was the 27th seed feeling off her game because of the hot conditions on Rod Laver Arena?
The great Roger Federer doesn’t like this scenario and has rightly pointed out many times that when you play the Australian Open you have to expect hot, harsh and trying conditions.
It’s par for the course and if you don’t prepare well enough then bad luck.
The idea of players having access to a time-out like in basketball has also been raised rather than going with the medical charade.
For the record Barty also made the point that as world No.1 and a grand slam champion she should have had the experience and know-how to deal with the delay and not melt down.
This is sound logic which is not something you can say about medical time-outs in tennis.
ASH’S PERFECT RESPONSE TO TIME-OUT
A shattered Ash Barty won’t blame a questionable medical time-out by her opponent for her shock exit from the Australian Open.
The world No.1 was in total control of the quarter-final until 27th seed Karolina Muchova called for the doctor early in the second set.
She then left Rod Laver Arena for treatment with the 10-minute delay unsettling Barty who completely lost her rhythm.
An inspired Muchova then proceeded to win 11 of the next 14 games to claim the biggest win of her career 1-6 6-3 6-2.
Afterwards the Czech said she’d felt dizzy and “lost” on the court with ice treatment during the time-out, the reason for her stunning resurrection.
Barty said time-outs were within the rules and she trusted the judgement of the WTA medical staff.
“It’s within the rules. She’s within her rights to take that time,” she said. “If she wasn’t within the rules, the physios and the doctors would have said so.
“That’s the laws of our game, we have those medical timeouts for cases that are needed. Obviously she needed that today, it’s completely within the rules for her to take that.
“From my point of view, I’ve played a lot of matches where there have been medical timeouts. I’ve taken medical timeouts myself before, so that shouldn’t be a massive turning point in the match.
“I was disappointed that I let that become a turning point. I’m experienced enough now to be able to deal with that.”
Asked if she thought there should be more scrutiny on medical time-outs, Barty said: “I don’t write the rules, I abide by them.
“All of us players, we abide by the rules that are written. It’s not my place to comment here whether she had an injury or not.
“That’s the physios and the doctors. Obviously that she’s taken her medical timeout meant that there was something wrong.
“She was within the rules, within the guidelines to take that time.”
Muchova said she almost fainted on the court because of the warm conditions with the temperature hovering around 30 degrees at Melbourne Park.
“I think it was a bit of heat. Yeah, it got to me,” she said. “I was feeling kind of dizzy at some point, like really, really lost and almost fainting. So, yeah, I just asked for help.
“They cooled me down with ice. I was a bit in a shadow. Doctor checked my pressure, my temperature and everything. Yeah, I think the ice thing was the main one.”
Jim Courier was lost for words about the change in the energy following the MTO.
“I tell you what, if I’m ever having a bad day, I’m calling that WTA trainer to help,” he said.
“Miracle worker. It’s incredible. Before the medical time-out, look how dominant Barty was across the board. The short points, mid points, long points, sweeping almost all of them.
“Afterwards, it’s flipped. Complete flippage.”
Echoing Courier’s sentiments, Sam Smith lamented the fact the MTO would dominate the coverage of what had been a great contest.
“Unfortunately, we are going to be talking a lot more about the big break early on in that second set for the medical than some of the wonderful play out there,” she said.
“She would never have imagined really this scenario before coming on to court this morning. This divided match, really, divided by that 10-minute medical time out. Could never have come up in the planning meeting, strategy sessions.”
Barty, who lost in the semi-finals last year, tried to put a positive spin on the surprise loss given she’d had an 11-month lay-off coming into the Australian Open.
The draw opened up for the 2019 French Open champion who avoided Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka in her half with American 24th seed Jennifer Brady the other surprise semi-finalist to face Muchova.
“It’s heartbreaking ,of course,” Barty said. “But will it deter me, will it ruin the fact we’ve had a really successful start to our season? Absolutely not.
“I felt like I had small windows of opportunity probably midway through the second set and wasn’t able to kind of regroup enough to be clear in the third set how I wanted to play.
“I think I just lost my way a little bit, which is disappointing without a doubt. I felt like I was in control of the match. I knew how I wanted to go about it, just lost my way a bit.”
Barty confirmed she was intending to move overseas for a significant part of the year, starting with tournaments in the Middle East, but it was still dependent on the COVID-19 situation in Europe.
BRADY ADDS ANOTHER CHAPTER TO RAPID RISE
Chris Cavanagh
She started 2019 ranked No. 116 in the world.
Two years on, American Jennifer Brady is preparing for a second semi-final appearance in as many Grand Slams after making the final four in the Australian Open draw.
The 25-year-old will face top-seed slayer Karolina Muchova on Thursday, eyeing her first Grand Slam final and the minimum $1.5 million pay packet that comes with it.
Brady fell to eventual champion Naomi Osaka in the semi-final of the US Open last year, in what was the first major where she had progressed past the fourth round.
But there were learnings from that loss that – which was anything but lopsided.
“I think we won match of the year on the women’s side,” Brady said of that semi-final.
“I think that definitely solidifies the fact that we both played an impressive, high-quality tennis match from start to finish.
“I’m looking to hopefully replicate that in the next round (on Thursday) for my semi-final match.
“Honestly, I’m just happy to be competing. With all that’s going on, the pandemic, I think all of us are just happy to be out here doing what we love, playing the sport that we enjoy, just having another opportunity to compete.”
Brady and good friend Jessica Pegula had a smile and gave each other a fist bump as they walked out on to Rod Laver Arena together on Wednesday.
That was where the niceties ended for the American pair in a cutthroat quarterfinal.
In a seesawing battle, the unseeded Pegula landed the first punch as she took the opening set 6-4.
But the daughter of a billionaire oil and gas magnate ultimately ran out of gas herself as Brady – who sensed an opportunity against a tiring opponent – fought back to take a convincing win, 4-6 6-2 6-1.
“I came out and was maybe pressing a little bit too much, trying to overplay, and was making a few unforced errors in the beginning of the first set,” Brady said.
“I found my way in the second set just playing more aggressive on my terms.
“Towards the end of the third I was just really dialled in, tunnel vision, just kept going for my shots, playing aggressive.”
Brady and Muchova – who is coming off a quarter-final win over world No. 1 Ash Barty – have met just once before in Prague in 2019.
Muchova scored a 6-4 3-6 7-6 (2-0) win on that occasion.
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