Ashleigh Barty surprised many by reaching the final of the 2019 French Open, where she beat Marketa Vondrousova 6-1, 6-3 to claim her maiden Grand Slam crown. The Australian had never gone beyond the quarter-finals of any of the sport’s four major events before and had just four WTA titles to her name.
Tipped for long-term success
Still aged just 23, there are many who feel that the new World No. 2 could go on to dominate the game over the next few years. But as we have seen in the past, it is not always easy to transfer a Grand Slam victory into sustained long-term success. Spain’s Garbine Muguruza is one example of a player who has struggled for consistency since winning two Grand Slam events in 2016 and 2017.
Cricket hiatus
The road to Grand Slam glory has not been easy for the Queensland-born star. She gave up tennis in 2014 and began playing cricket for Brisbane Heat, taking part the inaugural Women’s Big Bash League. Her decision was prompted by a desire to enjoy her later teenage years at home rather than enduring the exhausting schedule of the women’s tennis tour.
After a successful spell as a cricketer (despite having had no previous training in the sport), she took the decision to return to tennis in the 2016 season. An arm injury hampered much of her season but she bounced back to win her first WTA title at the Malaysian Open in 2017.
Return to tennis
As a doubles player, she has won one Grand Slam and reached the final of three more with veteran partner Casey Dellacqua. Their debut major win came at the 2018 US Open.
Barty kicked off 2019 with her best ever Grand Slam singles performance, a quarter-final appearance at the Australian Open, before winning the Miami Open with a 7-6, 6-3 win over Karolína Pliskova. She followed that with a quarter-final appearance at the Madrid Open where she was narrowly beaten by Simona Halep.
Among the favourites
The dynamic right-hander will start as a 6/1 shot in the Wimbledon betting odds behind Petra Kvitova and Serena Williams but ahead of World No. 1 Naomi Osaka. Barty has shown decent form on grass before having reached the final of the 2017 Birmingham Classic and won the 2018 Nottingham Open where she defeated Britain’s Johanna Konta 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.
Can she win Wimbledon?
Winning back-to-back Grand Slams is a rare achievement but Barty has form and momentum on her side. Reigning champion Angelique Kerber and Serena Williams look to be the biggest threats but she can take heart from the fact she beat Kerber in their one previous meeting on the hard courts of Wuhan. However, she has yet to face Williams in any event.
Another possible contender is two-time former champ Petra Kvitova who Barty defeated to lift the crown in Miami just a few months back. World No. 1 Naomi Osaka could also feature but does not have a great record on the Wimbledon grass. With all things considered, the young Australian has every chance of going all the way at this year’s Wimbledon Championship.
