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Laver says Barty ‘tough to beat’ at Wimbledon
SYDNEY, June 10, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Australian tennis legend Rod Laver says
Ashleigh Barty will be “a tough lady to beat” at Wimbledon in July as he and
fellow great Margaret Court heaped praise on the new French Open champion.
Barty’s 6-1, 6-3 thrashing of Czech teenager Marketa Vondrousova in the
Roland Garros final propelled her to number two in the world and Laver said
she had all the attributes to win on grass, a surface she favours over clay.
“There are some other big girls out there that are big servers and have
good ground strokes but Ash is tenacious, has a good drop shot, good angles,
good anticipation,” Laver, who was in Paris to witness the final, told the
Sydney Morning Herald.
“I really think she’ll be a tough lady to beat.”
Since famously taking a break from tennis late in 2014 to play professional
cricket, Barty has returned with a new focus and Laver said it was clear her
confidence was much higher.
“You could see her concentration has been much better. Sometimes before,
when she missed something she would have a ‘hang-dog’ look about her if she
missed a forehand,” said the 80-year-old, who won two French Open titles
among his 11 Grand Slams.
“She would drop away and maybe think, ‘This game is too tough to play’. But
now everything she hits is perfect.”
Barty was the first Australian woman to win in Paris since the last of
Court’s five singles titles there in 1973 — against Chris Evert — and the
24-time Grand Slam winner said she wasn’t surprised at her success.
“I’ve watched most of her matches throughout the year and I’ve seen the
improvement. She’s got a very good all-round game,” Court told reporters.
“She can hit through the ball. She can slice, volley, she’s got a good
serve and smashes well. There’s an all-round game. There’s not a weakness
there.”
And in an era when Australia is more used to the antics of Nick Kyrgios and
Bernard Tomic, she also praised the 23-year-old for her “wonderful
temperament”.
“She is a very good role model. She is good for our nation. I think she is
very refreshing.”
BSS/AFP/MSY/0822 hrs