Tennis: Barty’s quest for the big blue room

Next week Ash Barty will return to Melbourne Park, and surely Rod Laver Arena, as Australia’s best chance to win the Open

Ash Barty reaches for a forehand against Jelena Ostapenko yesterday

She had a booking for the big room. It looked like heaven to her. An immaculate court, electric blue. She loved the feel of it. The size, the sound. The scope. The prestige. Not only was Rod Laver’s name stamped on the front door; Laver himself was usually parked in the front row, trying desperately to stay awake during the night matches, a sky blue Esky at his feet.

It was a dream for a young Australian player to get a gig in the big room at the Australian Open. But before Ash Barty’s third-round clash last year against Naomi Osaka, she was tapped on the shoulder by a man in a black coat. The big room had become unavailable. Simona Halep was running a four-hour marathon against Lauren Davis, sending the schedule into chaos.

Barty was guided into the smaller room of Margaret Court Arena. Those close to her said she was not quite crestfallen, but dispirited nonetheless. Off-Broadway. She denied a negative effect, but on the day, she was wickedly out of sorts and, soon enough, out of the tournament — beaten in straight sets by Osaka before Osaka went to New York and became someone. Post-match, Osaka said: “There would have been a lot more people cheering for her on Laver. So I think it was good for me to play her here.”

Next week Barty will return to Melbourne Park, and surely Rod Laver Arena, as Australia’s best chance to win the Open. It’s been so long since a homegrown champion was crowned that Chris O’Neil might not remember doing it in 1978. Barty’s preparations could hardly be more perfect if they allowed her to raise the trophy for practice. She’s beaten two French Open champions, Garbine Muguruza and Jelena Ostapenko, in as many weeks. And today she will receive a pinpoint gauge on her progress when she trades blows with World No 1 Halep at the Sydney International.

Asked if she could win the Australian Open, she grinned broadly and replied, “I’m in the draw, so why not?”

Barty, who yesterday downed Ostapenko 6-3 6-3, has lost to the steady-as-she-goes, road-running Halep in both of their previous clashes, failing to win a set.

“There’s certainly no better challenge than coming up against Simona right before a slam,” she said. “It’s kind of the perfect opportunity for me to go out there and play freely and try a few different things and get ready as best that I can to try and win that match. I have the opportunity to test myself against the best in the world.

“They (the two losses) were actually back-to-back weeks in Montreal and Cincinnati last year. I never played her before that, and obviously they were tough matches. I was in both of those matches and let my opportunities slip. So I know that if I do the right things, I will certainly get my opportunities. And then it comes down to execution.

“She’s the ultimate competitor. She’s the best in the world. There’s no one better to come up against to test your game. Win or lose today, I had no stress and no worries that I’d be good to go for Melbourne.”

Barty said her career ambitions were a top-10 world ranking and a deep run at the majors. She said the hype of the Open was to be embraced. “Yeah, it takes some adjusting,” she said. “It takes some getting used to. But the last couple years I felt really comfortable. The support that I get in Australia is amazing and in Melbourne it’s kind of the next level. It’s a hell of a way to start a year. Hopefully I can go out there and play well. I expect myself to prepare and do everything right so I can go out and perform my best for myself, my team, and the Australian public.”

Asked what she needed to do to beat Halep, she replied: “I think I’m going to have to serve well. She’s probably the best returner in the game. No doubt I will have to serve well and try and construct my points very well.

“Using my forehand is obviously no secret. When I can get more forehands than backhands, I feel like I’m in control of more points. But it’s going to be an extremely physical match. Hopefully serve well, look for forehands, and see how it goes.”

Barty again declined to bemoan the behind-the-scenes scheduling shift that preceded her loss to Osaka at Melbourne last year. “Yeah, well, it was … we were kind of of the understanding that’s how it was going to move,” she said. “I think it was a men’s match that went five sets. I think it was a women’s match previously that had also gone quite a while. We’d been given the heads up that the change was a possibility. So, yeah, I was ready. It was just kind of dependent on that men’s match, when it finished, but I was aware of it and ready to move if we had to. In the end, we did, but we were aware of it an hour or two before.”

Asked if it was a let-down, she said: “Margaret Court isn’t an ordinary court. It’s still a beautiful court. You know, I love playing out there. It’s a tennis court, that’s the same lines, the same measurements and dimensions. One just has a few more seats around it. Both beautiful courts. I’m very lucky to play on either of them.”