Ash Barty’s amazingly sweet Wimbledon ‘tradition’

Ash Barty has Australia right behind her at every tournament she plays but this supporter is a lot more important to the World No. 1.

Ash Barty's Wimbledon tradition is super sweet.

Aussie World No. 1 Ash Barty’s Wimbledon preparation has been far from ideal so far but a picture has revealed it’s just got a whole lot better for her.

Having had to pull out of her French Open campaign in the second round with a hip injury, Barty has laid low as she prepared for the quick turn around to the grass court season.

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But after a chaotic lead into the French Open with a win in Stuttgart, and a final loss in Madrid before pulling out with an arm injury in the Italian Open, many believed the heavy workload ruined Barty’s French Open campaign before it even started.

Despite saying that grass is her favourite surface, Barty’s best result is the fourth round at the All England Club in 2019.

On top of all that, it’s still months until the end of the US Open, which is set to finish on September 12, the earliest timeline that Barty herself set to returning to Australia at the beginning of the year.

This could even be November if she stays on tour until the end of the year with the difficulty around Covid quarantine requirements to come home for a break.

“Without a doubt it was something that was new to me, new to try and wrap my head around and comprehend where we’re going to be away for such an extended period,” Barty said earlier in the year.

“Of course there were tears the days leading up (to leaving Australia). There were tears when I did finally leave, and then when we left. Then we were delayed and had to leave again. It was all kind of happening”.

So with plenty against her, Barty has finally got a present from home that could make her Wimbledon campaign a whole lot better.

Barty’s long-term boyfriend and aspiring pro golfer Garry Kissick shared a photo of the pair together, recreating a picture of Kissick sitting on Barty’s lap that they first took in 2019.

The 2019 version of the tradition.

Barty’s 2018 US Open champion doubles partner CoCo Vandeweghe replied to Kissick’s post, writing: “It’s a tradition double R”.

Barty even put up an Instagram Story of her own with a behind the scenes look as her coach Craig Tyzzer took the picture on his phone.

Ash Barty's Instagram Stories post.

Barty and Kissick met at the Brookwater Golf Club in 2016 — the tennis star had visited the venue to play a round of golf.

The sporting duo immediately clicked, and went public with their relationship in 2017 when they appeared alongside each other at the John Newcombe Awards.

Although they keep their relationship mostly private, Kissick has shown he’s adept at kicking those long distance partner goals, having posted a sweet message after Barty’s 2019 French Open win.

Kissick has shared a handful of photos with Barty on Instagram over the years, including a sweet photo of Barty with the couple’s dogs on her birthday.

It was captioned: “Happy Birthday to the No. 1 dog mum @ashbarty We all miss you but the puppies do enjoy the relaxed house rules while you’re away.”

But Kissick had decided not to travel with Barty this season to focus on his career, despite how long they would be apart.

Hopefully his Wimbledon appearance can push Barty over the hump when The Championship kicks off on June 28.

Barty will retain her World No. 1 ranking heading into Wimbledon despite not participating in any lead up tournaments.

However, Barty’s last Instagram post was on June 13 with her having a hit, easing some fears that she didn’t have enough time to get fit for Wimbledon.

And after being knocked out in the fourth round last time around at Wimbledon, if she can stay fit and in form, Barty could extend her lead on top of the WTA rankings.