Wimbledon 2021: Ash Barty’s win is a truly astonishing achievement

Ash Barty dared to dream and had the courage and conviction to deliver a famous triumph on the biggest stage in tennis.

And a nation celebrated. Ash Barty. Wimbledon champion. The most worthy of winners. A player universally respected and adored nationwide for her brilliance and sportsmanship.

The 25-year-old’s 6-3 6-7 (3) 6-3 triumph over Karolina Pliskova is the punctuation mark on an already remarkable career. For this is truly an astonishing achievement on many levels.

Barty’s success ends a 41-year drought dating back to the stunning performance by her mentor and friend Evonne Goolagong Cawley, who watched from the Sunshine Coast.

The Australian handled the pressure of being the top seed and world No 1 — and the woman to beat throughout the event — with distinction despite a severely compromised preparation.

From the moment an acute hip problem forced her out of the French Open, Barty was racing the clock to be fit for Wimbledon. Immense credit must go to her team for assisting her.

She scarcely picked up a racquet in the weeks prior to the tournament. Her coach Craig Tyzzer backed off the training requirements, mindful any setback would end her hopes.

Rob Barty, the champion’s dad, told The Australian on Sunday morning their family was forever grateful for the guidance of Tyzzer, but also his sacrifice, with the coach leaving his family behind in Melbourne to accompany their daughter on an amazing adventure.

Mindset coach Ben Crowe helped convince Barty that the disappointment in Paris might yet produce a silver lining elsewhere. And what a silver lining it proved.

Wimbledon 2021 champion Australia's Ashleigh Barty waves as she walks across the bridge over St Mary's Walk after the women's singles final. Picture: AFP

From her opening match against Carla Suarez Navarro, that in itself a special moment given the Spaniard had overcome cancer for a Wimbledon farewell, to the final, the right-hander represented herself with distinction in every facet of the sport.

To hold aloft the Venus Rosewater Dish, Barty counts among the talented women she defeated the reigning French Open titleist in Barbora Krejickova, a three-time major winner and fellow Wimbledon champion in Angelique Kerber and a former world No. 1 in Pliskova.

The manner with which she played the final, from her dazzling start to her ability to regroup after the disappointment in the second set, is testament to Barty’s mental strength.

Fans marvel at her outstanding serve, her wonderful forehand, the sizzling sliced and double-handed backhands and her superb court craft and coverage.

But it is the mental discipline to prevail in difficult moments, and to accept there will be times when her rival gets the upper hand, that sets Barty apart and makes her a champion.

So it proved yet again in the final. The opening three games were astonishing. Barty settled straight away while it took the Czech time to find her rhythm.

Barty serves during the match. Picture: Getty

But to the great credit of Pliskova, who added a runners-up trophy at Wimbledon to a loss to Kerber in the 2016 US Open final, she lifted. She made Barty earn the championship. Although beaten, it is a performance Pliskova should be particularly proud of after a difficult season to date.

The eighth seed started to find her range on her first serve, though there were moments where nerves were apparent, as seen by her struggles with her ball toss.

The 29-year-old’s ability to fight back from a 1-3 deficit in the second set, then to break Barty when she was serving for the championship for the first time, made this a match worthy of the occasion.

Barty earned the greatest success whenever she was able to move the tennis ball out of the hitting zone of her powerful rival.

As Pat Rafter told The Weekend Australian, if his fellow Queenslander was able to keep Pliskova on the move in the final, the championship was hers for the taking. And so it proved.

In particular, Barty reaped the rewards when stretching the beaten finalist wide to the forehand side, which she did repeatedly throughout the decider.

Barty and Pliskova during the presentation ceremony. Picture: Getty

This was one example of Barty’s bravery, for Pliskova has a prodigious forehand. But only when set. She thumped blistering winners on occasion, but also erred on critical points. It was a gamble but Barty always looked to have the upper-hand there.

The Australian did this with her well-shaped, heavily top-spinning forehand and the inside-out slice that moved the ball away from the taller Czech while staying low.

Another key factor was her ability to blunt Pliskova’s serve. Early on, nerves helped, for the Czech struggled to hit the spots that would stretch the Australian on return.

But this improved. By the middle stages of the second set, the Czech was thumping flat serves that were zipping off the lines and making life harder for the Brisbane resident.

But Barty’s ability to block her opponent’s serve, to bunt or chip returns, drew the 29-year-old into many more rallies than she would normally be forced to on her service games. The lower or more acute the angle of the return, the better.

Then there was the courage the Wimbledon champion showed on her own serve. Rafter had hoped she would continue to serve bravely, to press hard on her second serves if needed.

There were double-faults. One when serving to close out the match at 6-5 and another when set point down in the second set tie-breaker were clearly costly.

But the Australian’s ability to keep Pliskova on the back foot, to make her uncertain about whether to attack or defend when returning, was a masterstroke. It was a gamble worth taking and Barty was duly rewarded.

It is clearly a triumph to remember. To be celebrated. And it was particularly hard-earned.

Ash Barty. The masterful performer who produced a masterclass of grass court excellence. The 2021 Wimbledon champion.