Evert’s fear for overworked Barty

Chris Evert is concerned Ashleigh Barty will fall victim to her own success.

Aussie tennis star Ash Barty with Justin Langer, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc and Alex Carey and Lord’s. Picture: Andre Mauger

American great Chris Evert is concerned Ashleigh Barty will fall victim to her own success, fearing the Australian could succumb to fatigue after a month of high achievement.

“It would be like a herculean effort if she won Wimbledon, to have won the French, to have won Birmingham,” said Evert, an analyst for ESPN.

“Then when she won that, she became No 1. At some point it’s got to be overwhelming, and she’s a human being. I mean, it would be so impressive if she won Wimbledon.

“She has the game. She has the athleticism, the variety. I just kind of wonder when the tank is going to start to get a little bit empty, both physically and emotionally. So it’s going to be tough.”

Barty, 23, is recovering this week after capping a 12-match winning streak at Birmingham and landing the world No 1 ranking — and the trophy named after Evert.

The Queenslander spent Tuesday at Lord’s watching Australia defeat England in the World Cup.

Nursing slight right-arm soreness, Barty is scheduled to resume practice today.

Evert, a triple Wimbledon winner and former world No 1, believes Barty’s grasscourt expertise will carry her a long way, provided she is not exhausted.

“You know what, she’s got a great grasscourt game,” she said.

“I think she loves the grass. I think it’s interesting that her parents (Robert and Josie) were scheduled to come over for the grasscourt season, not for the claycourt season.

“Look what happened.”

Meanwhile, Samantha Stosur has fallen to German ace Angelique Kerber, ending Australia’s hopes at the Eastbourne International.

The veteran lost 6-4 6-4 to the German ace in the second round of the Wimbledon warm-up tournament at the Devonshire Park Lawn Tennis Club. Stosur had an ideal preparation going into the match by easily beating last week’s Mallorca Open winner Sofia Kenin 6-2 6-3 in her opener the previous day. But after going down in the first set, the 35-year-old tried but was unable to battle back in the second against Kerber.

The reigning Wimbledon champion will next face Swede Rebecca Peterson, who beat Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko 7-6 (8-6) 6-4.

Stosur was the last Australian singles player at the tournament after compatriot Daria Gavrilova was ousted by Zhang Shuai, while John Millman and Max Purcell bowed out earlier in the week and Barty withdrew due to injury. Gavrilova’s tournament was over after losing 6-3 6-1 to the Chinese ace earlier on Tuesday.

Zhang will meet Alize Cornet in the next round after the Frenchwoman beat Ukrainian Elina Svitolina 6-3 7-6 (7-3).

In other round two action, Dutch ace Kiki Bertens beat Ukrainian Yulia Putintseva 6-4 6-1, to set up a third-round clash with Anna-Lena Friedsam. The German overcame Estonian Anett Kontaveit 6-3 6-4.

Ons Jabeur, who had originally drawn Barty in the second round, beat Mandy Minella 2-6 6-2 6-1 to set up a date with local hope Johanna Konta, who beat Greek Maria Sakkari 6-4 7-6 (7-4).

Belgian Elise Mertens beat French Open runner-up Marketa Vondrousova 6-1 5-7 6-2 to face former world No 1 and 2017 Eastbourne champion Karolina Pliskova in the next round.

Simona Halep thrashed Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei 6-2 6-0 to book a match with Polona Hercog. Jelena Ostapenko will face Ekaterina Alexandrova after the Latvian beat American Sloane Stephens 1-6 6-0 6-3. The Russian beat Swiss Belinda Bencic 6-7 (8-6) 6-2 6-3.

In the final third-round clash Aryna Sabalenka faces Dane Caroline Wozniacki.

The Belarusian beat Slovenian Tamara Zidansek 6-2 6-3, while Wozniacki beat German Andrea Petkovic 6-4 6-4.

Herald Sun, AAP