Wimbledon 2019: Ash Barty to meet world No.43 Zheng Saisai in first round

Ash Barty draws world No.43 Zheng Saisai at Wimbledon as Nick Kyrgios faces grudge match.

Ashleigh Barty takes a selfie at Edgbaston Priory Club on June 22.

Ashleigh Barty is vowing to fight through the pain barrier in pursuit of one of the most elusive grand slam feats in tennis.

After three days off to recover from a niggling arm injury, Australia’s new world No.1 enjoyed her first pre-Wimbledon work-out on Thursday. Barty reported no setbacks and is confident her tried and proven formula of resting the weeks either side of grand slam events will have her ready to go when the grass-court major gets under way on Monday.

Barty withdrew from the Strasbourg International with the same issue before winning the French Open, then scratched herself from Nottingham and returned to claim her third title of the season in Birmingham to seize the top ranking. “When I have a heavy week, I have just make sure I am doing the right things to let it settle and build it back up,” said Barty, who opens her title bid on Tuesday against world No.43 Zheng Saisai.

“The French was OK, having the day on day off helps, not having too much of a spike in a row.

“But we have managed it my whole career. We have played with it through pain and weeks we have to take a step back and manage it properly.”

Meanwhile, Nick Kyrgios’s potential second-round showdown with Rafael Nadal is the talk of Wimbledon.

Strolling through the gates of the magical All England Club only further fuelled Barty’s appetite for more grand slam glory.

“It’s incredibly unique, there’s no place like it,” she said. “Every time you walk into the All England Club, I still look around in awe. It’s just incredible.” The 23-year-old is striving to join legends Margaret Court (1970), Evonne Goolagong Cawley (1971), Billie-Jean King (1972), Chris Evert (1974), Martina Navratilova (1982, 1984), Steffi Graf (1988, 1993, 1995, 1996) and Serena Williams (2002, 2015) as only the eighth woman in half a century of professional tennis to have completed the French Open-Wimbledon winning double. Barty’s coach Craig Tyzzer is convinced his charge has the game and temperament to do it if, as they did in Paris, the stars align.

“I don’t think because you are No.1 and won a slam you are going to win every match you play,” Tyzzer said.

“There’s too many good girls out there and Ash knows that it is not realistic. “We’ll do exactly the same process for every match she has to play. If she plays her best tennis on the day, she is well capable of beating anybody. “She is not scared of any of the girls.”

AAP