Tennis: Why Ash Barty doesn’t deserve Wimbledon honour

Serena Williams after winning Wimbledon in 2016. Picture: AFP

Wimbledon’s nod to Ash Barty is a slap in the face to the Williams sisters.

Australia’s world No.1 has the honour of leading the Centre Court schedule on Tuesday because defending champion Simona Halep is out through injury. Rather than giving the privileged, marquee timeslot to Serena Williams, the seven-time champion, or her sister Venus, on the 20th anniversary of the second of her five triumphs, The All England Club has given it to Barty, bless her, despite the fact she’s never been past the fourth round in London. She’s hardly a Wimbledon Hall of Famer just yet.

If it’s not a slap in the face to the pair once called “The Venus sisters” by Jennifer Capriati, it seems a little odd. A gift for Barty, because she gets to sink her teeth into the tournament, finding her feet on the hallowed grass while wearing a vintage-style dress to mark the 50th anniversary of her friend and mentor Evonne Goolagong’s win. It will be a spine-tingling experience for Barty, but does she deserve it? Methinks not.

The first Centre Court match on Tuesday is a magical timeslot for the women. Halep’s heartbroken to be unavailable. The All England Club will look like a wonderland. The world’s most famous and glorious tennis court will be as vibrantly green and smooth as a billiard table. The grass will be so lush it’ll look like they’ve used a filter. When Halep withdrew because of a calf injury, Wimbledon’s officials had to pick the next most worthy player.

I could have sworn it would be Serena. For services rendered. For her seven titles over two decades. For electrifying the joint like few others. For the fact she’s 39 years of age and there’s no guarantee she’ll ever be back. For winning 23 major titles and hands down being the greatest female player who’s ever lived.

Barty is a wonderful young woman and everyone adores her but she’s hardly written herself into Wimbledon’s story yet. She’s the world No.1 and the top seed but she’s only played four Wimbledons. Her returns have been two first-round defeats, a third round, a fourth round. And yet she gets the marquee first-round match against Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro. Serena is third on Centre Court against Belarus’s Aliaksandra Sasnovich. Venus begins on Court 3 against Romania’s Mihaela Buzarnescu.

There’s a precedent, involving an Australian, for giving a past champion the leading role. In 2002, Goran Ivanisevic was the defending men’s champion. He withdrew because of a shoulder injury. Officials asked Pete Sampras, the 2000 champion, to lead the field off. He had injury niggles and asked to start his tournament on the Tuesday.

His wish was granted, meaning yet another male player was needed for the Centre Court opener. The top seed that year, like Barty now, was Australia’s Lleyton Hewitt. The world No.1, like Barty, was Hewitt. But he had never won Wimbledon (this being the year he would do it), so a past great was called in. It was Andre Agassi, on the 10th anniversary of his title.

The other options this year? The champion before Halep was Angelique Kerber. She’s been in terrible form but still, her name’s on the trophy. It’s the 10-year anniversary for Petra Kvitova. You wouldn’t deny her but she has already been beaten in her first-round match. The 20-year anniversary for Venus. That would have been golden. Serena’s Serena. I think it should have been her. It could’ve been a farewell gift for all we know about her future plans.

She turns 40 in September. She’s withdrawn from the Olympics for reasons she doesn’t feel like talking about. You’d assume it’s to do with her family being unable to join her in Tokyo, meaning an extended time away from her young daughter. She has Olympic gold medals galore, so it’s hardly worth the effort. All she wants is major number 24 to pull level with Margaret Court. Wimbledon and then the US Open are her next opportunities. Everything else is pointless, Olympics included.

Barty’s Centre Court appointment is a dream start to her dream tournament. She’d swap all her other titles for one Wimbledon. It’s the major most Australian kids dream about, including her. And then she’s off to Tokyo, assuming the hip complaint that prematurely ended her French Open campaign is under control. Despite her popularity and decency, she may not have too much of the crowd support against Suarez Navarro, a dogged and likeable fighter who’s spent most of the last six months having chemotherapy for Hodgkin lymphoma.

Her comeback has been applauded by one and all, including Barty, who will have to ignore the sentimentality if she’s to get off the mark. Starting on Centre Court is great for her. She’s in the thick of the tournament from the beginning, finding her feet on the hallowed grass. There’s only one way to get used to Centre Court. Play lots of matches on Centre Court.

And then she’s off to Tokyo. “I’ve never played at an Olympics before so I’m excited for the opportunity to be part of an Australian team,” she told CNN on Tuesday. “To be in an Olympics is something I’ve always dreamt of. We have such a rich history of Australian Olympians being successful, but it’s not always just about the success. It’s about the team coming together and uniting as one.

“I think the camaraderie you see in the Aussie teams is remarkable. I don’t think anyone quite understands that feeling. I’ve had a small taste of it in Fed Cup and a few different Australian teams, but nothing quite like an Australian Olympic team. That’s something I’m really looking forward to.”

Barty said she’s spoken to Australia’s Olympic legend Cathy Freeman “a little bit” about what to expect at the Games. “For me to learn off her experiences is really special,” she said. “To hear about them as just a friend is really cool. Just to know what she went through in her career and her different challenges and the things that she loved.

“The nation stopped during her race, the world stopped, and being able to talk to her about it has been remarkable. I just tried to learn as much as I could. The Olympics is going to be something that’s completely new to me. You never quite know how you’re going to feel when you do something for the first time. I can’t wait.”

Asked if she’d allowed herself to picture herself with Olympic gold, Barty said: “Oh, of course. Every child growing up, every athlete, whose sport or code is in the Olympics, dares to dream. The Olympic dream is incredible so, you never know.”