Pat Rafter says strong defence is crucial for Ash Barty in Wimbledon final

Pat Rafter and Alicia Molik believe the world No 1 has the game and tactics to blunt Karolina Pliskova’s power game.

Ash Barty is a win a way from becoming the first Australian woman to win Wimbledon since 1980 Picture Getty Images

Dual-US Open champion Pat Rafter believes the brilliant defensive capabilities of Ash Barty is key to the Australian’s chances of claiming a famous Wimbledon success on Saturday night.

The Queenslander will face Karolina Pliskova – a Czech with formidable power – in her maiden Wimbledon final in what is poised to be a culmination of a stellar fortnight of tennis at SW19.

It shapes up as an even encounter between the current world No. 1 and Pliskova who has yet to win a major but did top the rankings for eight weeks in 2017.

Barty served brilliantly when under pressure against Angelique Kerber. She played some of her best tennis in the 6-3 7-6 (3) semi-final win and Rafter is hopeful she can continue to deliver in the crunch moments.

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But he said her ability to blunt the power of Pliskova – a former US Open finalist who defeated Aryna Sabalenka in three sets in the semi-final – will be just as crucial in the final beginning at 11pm AEST.

“Ash is going to have to defend really well, but if Ash can defend really well, I think she will be too good for her,” Rafter told The Weekend Australian.

“She is going to have to get a lot of slice backhands that shoot out wide, but that is an ability Ash has. Hopefully this girl will not blow her off the court.

“If Ash can get it out of her hitting zone – and Ash definitely has that ability – I actually like the match up.

“But this girl serves really big and she has a really big game and she returns really well, so Ash is going to have to work really hard to win it.

“She doesn’t have to do anything special. She can just run the ball down and when the forehand is there to hit, she has to hit it.”

The 25-year-old trained lightly at the All England Club on Friday with coach Craig Tyzzer, who began plotting a strategy for Barty immediately after her semi-final success.

Barty has won four of her six encounters against Pliskova, the most recent of which came in Stuttgart in April, but little has separated them in matches on all surfaces.

Pliskova has served the most aces this tournament with 54, though the Australian is only eight in arrears. And Barty sits second in terms of most points won against first serves.

The 2019 French Open champion said it was crucial to begin well against the Czech and find a way to defuse her serve.

“She has a big one-two punch with her serve and if she can control her service games, it puts you under the pump on your own service games,” Barty said.

“I think being able to keep scoreboard pressure is a massive thing and she has been serving exceptionally well this week. She has been able to control a lot of the matches from early on.

“That is the challenge, to try to neutralise (her serve) as best as possible early on and keep scoreboard pressure.”

Australia’s Fed Cup captain Alicia Molik has watched Barty disrupt the rhythm of the world’s best women repeatedly since her return from a sabbatical in 2017.

She said that Barty’s ability to deploy her variety, be it the probing backhand slices, her heavily top-spinning forehand and the serve she can land of a five cent piece, and keep Pliskova off balance will be critical.

“Ash always finds a way to make an opponent feel unsettled and uncomfortable on the court and I have no doubt she will do the same against Pliskova,” Molik said.

“It is how she is able to construct a point with varying speeds and spin which prevents so many players from dictating their own games. They tend to worry more about what she is about to do.

“It’s the perfect recipe for a player like Ash and I just love the way she plays.”

Handling the pressure is also key. The Australian has a major title to her name. Pliskova has long been considered among the best without one.

It is now 20 years since Rafter fell to Goran Ivanisevic in an epic Wimbledon final.

A former world No.1, he said that no matter a player’s experience, they will feel nerves. It is how they deal with them that counts.

“How she controls her nerves, I can’t answer that. We will soon find out. I don’t even think Ash would know yet,” he said.

“She will go through her normal procedures. But I think she acknowledges she will have more nerves than normal, but it is a great opportunity for her.”

Rafter was full of praise for the manner with which Barty served against Kerber in her semi-final triumph and is hopeful she can deliver with similar courage on Saturday.

Tyzzer said there was great disappointment when injury ruined her Roland Garros hopes, for Barty had been in the best form of her career. But they always hoped there would be a silver lining.

“Nothing is a given in this sport. Tennis is pretty fickle in nature, as the French Open showed,” he said. “So, if you take it for granted, you get sort of lost a little bit, so everything’s a blessing in a lot of ways.

“To come from where she’s come in the last month or so to get to where she is now, I’m constantly amazed.”