Fatigue a positive sign for World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty as she prepares for the French Open

 

World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty who recently lost out against Aryna Sabalenka in the finals of the 2021 Mutua Madrid Open revealed that she was too fatigued for the clash. However, the Australian tennis player also admitted that fatigue is a good problem to have as it means that she is doing well in the events and going deep into almost each one of them.

Barty did not start the year that well as she was knocked out of the quarterfinals in the Australian Open and then even in Adelaide she failed to find her mojo. However when she left for Miami that was the first time she left Australia in over a year. However the 25-year-old instantly won the Miami Open beating Bianca Andreescu, reached the quarters at Charleston Open and won singles and doubles titles in Stuttgart Open. There she also defeated Sabalenka in the finals against whom she fell short in Madrid a few days earlier.

The Australian is preparing for the upcoming French Open and considering her form on clay, it looks like she is really in with a fight. After her defeat against the Belarusian, Barty said that she was tired to feature in the match but to her, she reckoned that being tired was getting things right at the big stages.

“It’s a good problem to have,” she told reporters.

“I think any time you can play a lot of matches and a lot of tennis, it means you’re putting yourself out there over and over again. Of course, there was a little bit of fatigue.

“I’m really proud of the week, kind of the month we’ve had since we’ve been away. It’s been a great start. We look to bigger and better things.”

Barty has hardly any time to rest right now especially with the French Open just around the corner. The 25-year-old has immediately travelled to Rome where she will feature in 2021 Italian Open and surprisingly she is again due to face Aryna Sabalenka in the quarterfinals.

She is in fiery form this season and will look to make the most out of the French Open ahead of that her only event for assessment will be the Italian Open. Looking at her form a lot of fans feel that the Australian may repeat the Roland Garros triumph from 2019 which still remains as her only Grand Slam. She did not get to defend her title last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I’m always proud at the end of every tournament. I think whenever you have an opportunity to leave the tournament with a smile, that’s always a good thing,” Barty said.

“I feel like we have another opportunity in Rome to try to do the best we can there. Then we just reset and focus for Roland Garros.”