World No 1 Barty adds to her arsenal of weapons

Ash Barty may have skipped the tour last year but she was busy perfecting a new grip which has made her double-handed backhand a weapon.

World No 1 Ash Barty will be seeking a fourth WTA Tour title for 2021 when she plays Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka in the final of the Madrid Open on Saturday. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Ash Barty may have skipped the tour last year but she was busy perfecting a new grip which has made her double-handed backhand a weapon.

The world No 1 will play for her fourth title of the year in Madrid on Saturday night against Belarusian powerhouse Aryna Sabalenka, the woman she beat a fortnight ago in the Stuttgart final.

A key to the Queenslander’s stunning return to the circuit this year has been the improvements she has made to the game that saw her climb to the top of women’s tennis.

Barty’s 2019 season was exceptional. She claimed the French Open, won premier tier events in Miami and Birmingham and finished the season by winning the WTA Tour Finals.

But the Australian and her coach Craig Tyzzer were aware that her new status as the woman to beat meant that she needed to improve.

The initial step, as revealed by The Weekend Australian last June, was to switch natural gut into her strings with the aim of adding to her power and pace.

To watch Barty whip forehand winners on key points against Paula Badosa, who defeated her in Charleston last month, in her 6-4 6-3 win in Madrid on Thursday showed the benefits of that switch.

“I think the memories and the learnings now that we’re getting from the red clay have been really cool, to be able to challenge myself in different ways,” she said.

Sweet 16 for the Barty Party 🥳

🇦🇺 @ashbarty notches her sixteenth consecutive win on red clay, beating Badosa in straight sets to reach the #MMOPEN final! pic.twitter.com/nf7p1qYefj

— wta (@WTA) May 6, 2021

Crucially, any concerns that the string switch might blunt her prodigious spin and shape have long since been allayed.

If anything the 25-year-old, who has strung together a sweet 16 winning streak on red clay dating back to her Roland Garros triumph, is stretching her rivals even more in 2021 with her spin on the ball.

But another key adjustment was a slight grip change that Barty has made to her double-handed backhand to make it a more reliable shot and potential weapon.

The Weekend Australia witnessed a training session with Barty in Brisbane on the eve of the AFL grand final last year as she began the transition to the altered grip.

The right-hander shook her head on occasion as she struggled to make the shot with any regularity. She and Tyzzer stepped off the court several times to assess footage of her technique on an iPad.

Tyzzer was confident the adjustment would not take long and the benefits are clear just over six months on. The shot has become a more-than-handy accompaniment to the remarkable variety of her sliced backhand.

Not only does the 11-time titleist have more control on the ball, she is able to roll the shot at acute angles to stretch her rivals and also thump flatter, harder drives when required.

The increased reliability has made it harder for rivals to attack Barty, who is seeking to add the Madrid Masters title to her Miami Open, Stuttgart Open and Yarra Valley Classic wins.

The 2019 Roland Garros champion is clearly a leading contender for the French title to be played in Paris at the start of June.

It does not mean she will win. The quality of rivals including Sabalenka is extremely high and several have pushed the Australian to the brink recently in Europe and America.

The margins in many of her triumphs have been thin, with Barty doing a remarkable job to win critical points.

But her consistency is exceptional, as evidenced by the amount of ranking points she has accumulated. She is the first player since Serena Williams in 2015 to have collected more than 10,000 points.

To win three tournaments, with the prospect of a fourth title, in just seven events and in draws comprising the best players in the world is remarkable.

The challenge against Sabalenka, who Barty defeated in three sets in Stuttgart, is far from easy, as the Australian’s 4-3 lead in their head-to-head record indicates.

The 23-year-old, who has shown increased subtlety in a style based on athleticism and tremendous power, has been in phenomenal form in Spain and is yet to drop a set.

She vowed prior to the tournament that she would not lose her next match to Barty but acknowledged the challenge that awaits her is far from easy.

“She is number one. She is great. It’s not an easy game,” Sabalenka said.

“I will do everything I can to prepare myself as good as I can. (I’m) just looking forward to this battle.”

Ash. Aryna. Again.

For the 2nd straight tournament, Ash Barty and Aryna Sabalenka will battle it out in the final.

3rd meeting in the last 5 weeks.

Miami QF: Barty d. Sabalenka, 64 67 63

Stuttgart F: Barty d. Sabalenka, 36 60 63

Barty leads 4-3. #MMOPENpic.twitter.com/aGtRuM1yjQ

— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) May 6, 2021