BARTY READY TO GO
Jelena Dokic says the Aussie world No.1 can cope with home hype, writes TERRY MALLINDER
ONE-TIME Australian star Jelena Dokic expects Ash Barty to feed off the hype at Melbourne Park, potentially catapulting her to an Australian Open singles crown.
Dokic, now commentating for broadcaster Channel 9, will watch with interest as the tenacious Queenslander aims to break Australia’s 42-year home title drought.
Fresh from becoming the country’s first year-ending women’s world No.1, Barty clinched her maiden Australian WTA tournament win in Adelaide on Saturday.
The pressure of expectation will be immense over the next fortnight, but Barty not only has the game but also the mental strength to collect a second grand slam win after her success in Paris last year.
“She’s been doing such a great job after winning (at) Roland Garros, becoming world no.1 and dealing with the pressure,” Dokic said.
“She needs to focus on the tennis, what she needs to do in her matches and (to beat) her opponents. But, embrace it ... that there is that pressure there ... use the crowd.
“That’s what I did. That’s why I didn’t really struggle playing at home, playing in Australia. In fact, I loved it.
“Everyone reacts differently. Sam Stosur has talked about it publicly. That she absolutely struggles playing in Australia with that pressure. She always wanted to win here so badly.
“For Ash, I think she will be able to use the crowd to her advantage. She’s just been handling everything so well. She’s so humble. I don’t think she’ll have too many problems embracing the whole experience.”
Chris O’Neill was the last Australian woman to claim the crown Down Under in 1978.
Barty progressed to the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park in 2019, matching Dokic’s own best result in 2009.
“The Australian Open I think was a breakthrough for her last year,” Dokic said.
“She beat (Maria) Sharapova (in the fourth round). That was the breakthrough that she needed.”
Dokic has kept a close eye on Barty ever since she won the Wimbledon junior title at the age of 15 in 2011.
She was the first Aussie girl to win any junior grand slam singles title since Dokic at the 1998 US Open. Even then her “great game” stood out.
“It’s different to a lot of
other girls,” Dokic said.
“Great serve, really good slice, great volleys which especially at that age not a lot of girls possessed that type of game. It’s very baseline orientated with groundstrokes.
“She had the whole package, and was such a smart player. We always knew she had a great game. That she could become a great player.
“I’m not surprised that she’s won a grand slam, that she’s world No.1. It’s a unique game (and) women struggle to handle it. She’s now got the best slice in world.”
Dokic praised Barty, 23, for making the “mature” decision to take 18 months out from the game at the end of 2014.
“She did struggle with that adjustment (on the tour),” Dokic said. “Travelling so much and decided to take a break which, looking at it now, that was a great decision.
“Doing that so early in your career, realising you had to do it, (it was) such a mature decision. She re-evaluated what she wanted to do.”
Barty is on the second line of betting for the women’s title with Ladbrokes at $8, with Serena Williams, still such an imposing figure on the world scene, the $5 favourite after her win in Auckland last week.
She’s striving to win a record-equalling 24th major title to sit alongside Australia’s Margaret Court.
“Serena deciding to play a few extra matches (in the leadup) shows she really wants to win the Australian Open,” Dokic said. “She usually comes in cold, doesn’t play a lot.
“She’s getting that confidence before she even gets into a grand slam ... she’s going to be dangerous.” Key matches will be broadcast on Nine and 9Gem, while 9Now will stream every match played on every court across the entire tournament.