The Ash Barty Party: Burgers, Beer, Shipping Trophies Home

Ash Barty does things a little differently than most players on the tour. The Australian is often frank and open about how things operate in her world, even as a No. 1 player in the spotlight.

In this COVID environment, there’s even less of the glamour-ish lifestyle for top players, especially for Barty who simply goes about her business, day-in, day-out, with little fanfare or celebrity.

After her runner-up in Madrid Saturday, it was burgers and beer.

“We left the courts, we went down to the lobby and had a burger and a beer, and then we slept and we flew here. That was about it,” Barty said. “Pretty crazy one. Just packed up our bags and off we went. Certainly nothing fancy from our point of view.”

Barty’s post-Australian plan was to stay on the road until the end of the season, so what happens to the trophies she’s been collecting?

“I’m very lucky to be in a position in the last few weeks where we have been playing for titles and it’s been really exciting,” she said. “Thankfully we are able to ship those home, which are a nice surprise on mum and dad’s doorstep.”

Barty goes into Rome having won 16 of her last 17 on red clay, and 10 of her last 11 against Top 10 players.

The 25-year-old could face Elise Mertens in the third round and then a possible rematch with Aryna Sabalenka in the quarters.

“It’s been exciting to be back,” Barty said. “I think scheduling for probably the last four or five years of my career has always been something that I have tried to stick to. I like to commit to tournaments. I like to play those tournaments.

“At times we have had periods where we have gone back to back to back in tournaments, but this stretch has certainly been pretty full on and really exciting,” she added. “I think getting into the swing of things, used to playing week after week is important. Mentally and physically I feel good. It’s just about now preparing as best that I can to play here in Rome and try and play well.”

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