"The best bit about playing at home for Ashleigh Barty is the support, she is so popular in Australia" - Tim Henman
Former British No. 1 Tim Henman reckons Ashleigh Barty has used the support she has received from her home crowd in Australia as a catalyst to fuel her run to the final.
The World No. 1 advanced to her maiden Australian Open final by defeating Madison Keys 6-1, 6-3 in just 62 minutes on Thursday. She is now just one win away from becoming the first Australian since 1978 to win the women's singles title in Melbourne.
solute BEAUTY 
๐solute BEAUTY ๐ฆ๐บ
@ashbarty becomes the first Australian women's singles finalist at the #AusOpen since 1980!
Defeats Keys 6-1, 6-3 and will face the winner of Collins-Swiatek for the title ๐ https://t.co/EVLzteae3O
Speaking to Eurosport, Tim Henman recalled his own experiences of playing in his home Grand Slam at Wimbledon, where he reached the semifinals on four occasions. The Brit opined that Barty's popularity and success had wiped away the "negative stories," such as Novak Djokovic's deportation, that dominated the build-up to the Slam.
"The best bit [about playing at home] is the support. Ashleigh Barty is so popular [here in Australia]," Henman said. "I also think it is great that we had some negative stories before this event started. Now we've got so many positive stories at the end and I think it has been led by Barty."
"The best bit is ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ!" ๐๐
Tim Henman reflects on the pressures of playing a home Grand Slam ahead of Ash Barty's semi-final ๐ฆ๐บ
#AusOpen https://t.co/xbg0u6xuGl
However, Henman stated that playing at home did not come without its own pitfalls. The former World No. 4 felt that had Barty kept tabs on what was being said in the media about her, she would have felt the pressure. He hailed the Australian for staying focused on her own game and tuning out everything else.
"But there is going to be pressure if you were to be reading everything in the newspapers, everything that is being said on television and the radio," Henman said. "It would be impossible to play. So you really have to just concentrate just on your preparation and performance."
Ashleigh Barty faces Danielle Collins in the final of the 2022 Australian Open
The last player standing between Ashleigh Barty and her third Grand Slam title is Danielle Collins. The 28-year-old American defeated seventh seed Iga Swiatek 6-4, 6-1 in a commanding performance that rivaled Barty's own dominance.
Danielle Collins into her 1st Slam final with a dominating 64 61 performance to beat No.7 seed Iga Swiatek.
The win is Collinsโ 7th Top 10 win. She is now 32-7 since last July.
Collins will make her Top 10 debut after #AusOpen, sealing her spot as the highest-ranked American. https://t.co/jSkDz7q4DP
With the win over Swiatek, Collins advanced to the final of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career, improving on her semifinal finish at the 2019 Australian Open.
Barty currently leads the head-to-head against Collins 3-1, but the World No. 1 lost their most recent meeting at the 2021 Adelaide International.
Also check out: Updated WTA WoMen's Tennis Rankings