Ash Barty seeks firm footing on clay

Ash Barty is back in Europe and preparing for the French Open, mindful there are differences between all the clay courts she will play on.

Ash Barty has returned to Europe for the first time since her triumph in 2019

Ash Barty has returned to Europe for the first time since the greatest triumph of her career intent on finding her footing on clay leading into the French Open.

But the 2019 French Open champion, who is playing in Stuttgart this week, says she will need to regain her footing every week over the next month on the sliding surface prior to Roland Garros.

While the red dirt courts that dot Europe might all look the same to viewers watching from Australia, there are stark differences to the way they play.

Not every clay court possesses the same characteristics, particularly during the northern Spring where the weather can be fickle and temperatures can jump around like a yoyo.

Even Rafael Nadal has tournaments he performs better at based on the characteristics of the clay.

The Spaniard is playing in Barcelona this week, a tournament he has won 11 times. He has also won the Monte Carlo Masters 11 times and the French Open on 13 occasions.

But in Madrid, where altitude comes into play, his record is not as impressive, with only one of the left-hander’s five titles coming since 2014.

Adapting to the nuances of each clay court is crucial to success according to Barty.

“It is all very different. Very different. And the weather can also dramatically change the way it plays,” she said.

“Any time you move to a new tournament, it certainly feels different under foot. It certainly plays differently.

“Sometimes the ball is different. It is always an adjustment and even though we are in one clay court season, week to week, conditions certainly change.”

Barty, who turns 25 on Saturday, is on her first visit to Germany in a decade. She started with a doubles victory on Monday night, reuniting with Australian Open semi-finalist Jen Brady.

They paired up for the first time in Melbourne in February but the thigh problem that hindered Barty through the Australian Open forced them to withdraw from the doubles.

Masters tournaments in Spain and Italy offer different on-court experiences to Roland Garros, which can vary greatly over the fortnight of the major.

“Green clay is unique in itself. There are a lot of girls who have never played on green clay before and it is not something I am overly familiar with,” she said.

“Here in Stuttgart, this week, it is different again. It is almost a synthetic clay, because we are playing indoors on boards, so that is also a different bounce of the ball.

“Typically in Madrid, it can be quite quick with a little bit of altitude and you can move to Rome and it can also be quick, but if it rains, it can be slow and heavy.

“And then the Parisian clay always depends on what the temperature is like, whether the sun is out or not. It can play like three or four different variations.”

Barty has an opening round bye in Stuttgart and will play the winner of a clash between Germans Mona Barthel and Laura Siegemund.

The Australian champion, meanwhile, does not believe the decision to delay the French Open by a week due to the COVID-19 situation in Paris will lead to a Wimbledon surprise.

As a result of the decision, the grass court season has been reduced by a week, with only a fortnight between the French Open decider and the beginning of Wimbledon.

“I mean, I don’t think a week preparing for Wimbledon will make a huge, huge difference to those in (the) main draw,” she said.

“In my opinion, the longer the grass court season is, the better, but it’s the way that we live at the moment. So, we plan with Paris the best that we can and we just work from there.”