Ashleigh Barty's Australian Open run is a win against chaos
Does Ashleigh Barty ever do anything that can be called 'chaotic'?
For what seems like the longest time, the WTA tour has been synonymous with chaos. There has been chaos in the rankings, chaos in the ever-increasing count of Slam champions, and even chaos in the tennis on display. If you haven't seen a player hurling missiles at every possible corner of the court and then disappearing into oblivion a month later, you haven't really followed the WTA.
But with Barty, there's no chaos; not even a hint of it. The Aussie brings order and sanity to a madcap world, and it's all we can do to stop ourselves from deifying her.
With her 6-3, 7-6 win over Danielle Collins in the Australian Open final, Ashleigh Barty has reinforced why she is considered an all-time great already. Barty has now completed the Surface Slam (Major on each surface), held the No. 1 ranking for 106 weeks (fifth-longest in history), and established a reign so dominant and versatile it seems impossible right now to imagine her being beaten.
It was particularly fitting that her coronation, so to speak, came at her home Slam. Barty's idol Evonne Goolagong-Cawley was on hand to give away the trophy, while Christine O'Neil (the last Aussie woman to win the Melbourne Slam) was in attendance too. Rod Laver, of course, couldn't be kept away either; if ever there was a victory destined to come true, amid a litany of legends, this was it.
Barty's play over the course of the two weeks had that "written in the stars" quality too. During her previous two Slam winning runs, she looked good but never invincible; a collapse always seemed on the cards, especially when she was the clear favorite. But at this year's Australian Open, the 25-year-old looked in complete control for the most part.
When the mini-collapse did come - midway through the second set of the final - it seemed out of place and temporary.
Danielle Collins more than did her part to contribute to that blip. Her ability to handle the slice well put her at an automatic advantage over Barty's previous opponents, and her return of serve was good enough to punish any short-ish second serve.
At 5-1, and then later at 5-3, 30-0, and again at 6-5, 15-30, Collins seemed to have done enough to force a third set. But Barty dug out of each of those holes by bringing out a different - and equally lethal - weapon from her armory.
At 1-5 she used her defense and foot speed to get a few extra balls back in the court, and Collins predictably overhit. At 3-5, Barty used her on-the-rise forehand to smack two second-serve returns out of the American's reach, before eking out a double fault on break point. And at 5-6, 15-30, she thundered down three big serves to take the racket out of Collins' hand.
Those who have been following Barty day-in and day-out already knew she had a world-class serve, a world-class slice, and a world-class forehand. But on the biggest stage in the sport, with an estimated 3 million hopeful home fans (which is more than 10% of the country's population) watching, Barty showed that each of those weapons can win her a match on its own.
The World No. 1 didn't just rise to the occasion; she owned it.
Ashleigh Barty's predictability is precisely what makes her so great
Ashleigh Barty has been branded many names by the tennis fraternity, most of them complimentary, but among them is an unflattering one too: 'boring'. And yes, Barty CAN be boring when she's not slicing her opponents open on the court.
Before the final, there was a hilarious tweet doing the rounds about playing bingo with Barty's predictable post-match interview quotes (I cracked up at "She didn't give me any cheapies"). It was funny because it was close to the truth.
We don't know if she'll win on Saturday but we already know what she's gonna say afterwards. Ladies and gentlemen, may I demonstrate Ash Barty bingo: https://t.co/UYvS2Im0Yz
But while watching Barty go about her business this fortnight, I realized that her tennis is so effective largely because of how predictable and orderly it is.
Her serve is not great because of any freakishly unteachable talent; it is great because it is technically perfect. Barty doesn't conjure groundstroke winners by throwing caution to the wind or going for broke; instead, she crafts them through meticulous planning and patient point-construction. And when pushed wide or behind, the Aussie always looks to get the ball back rather than end the rally with a single shot.
If given a choice to do something, anything, on the court, Ashleigh Barty almost always chooses the soundest and most logical option. That sounds considerably less thrilling than, say, Naomi Osaka changing direction out of nowhere and blasting a down-the-line backhand winner. But it is something that can be repeated endlessly, and the high margin of error means you never lose control.
It is also something, as we know now, that can make you World No. 1 for 106 weeks (and counting). So what if Barty doesn't often unleash stone-cold winners that make the crowd gasp in awe? She can, instead, play tennis with a cerebral precision that makes them purr in contentment.
Ashleigh Barty will likely never be a global star as big as Serena Williams or Maria Sharapova, but that is okay. It's not like she wants all that attention either. The 25-year-old seems a lot more interested in the X's and O's of tennis than in building an army of fans, and that shows every time we see her - both on the court and off it.
The crowd at Melbourne Park screamed raucously at every point Barty won in the final, and even Collins claimed later that it wasn't easy to play amid the din. Ordinarily, the home player would have tried to play off such an atmosphere, the way Nick Kyrgios did so theatrically in his doubles final an hour later. But not Barty.
The World No. 1 was thoroughly businesslike from start to finish. Even after winning match point, she didn't show a lot of emotion apart from roaring in delight for a few seconds.
Ashleigh Barty is not one for loud 'Come on!'s and throaty yells. She's not one for boom-or-bust ball-bashing or inconsistent results either. The world's best player just doesn't do chaos. And isn't that a wonderful thing?