Paris victory can propel Ashleigh to a Wimbledon success
Two weeks ago, my plan for picking the Women’s Singles winner at Wimbledon was to write 20 names on a sheet of paper, put on a blindfold and stick a pin in it!
Now things have changed. I have a firm favourite. She is the Australian and new World No. 1, Ashleigh Barty.
It was not Barty’s victory at the French Open that really convinced me of her Wimbledon credentials. It was the fact that she followed up by winning the title in Birmingham.
In recent years, I have become very wary of building a player up after their first Grand Slam win. So many new champions have looked the part in winning a maiden Major, but have failed to build on that success.
There are a lot of onetime Grand Slam winners, and several others who took years to add a second Major title.
I believe Ashleigh Barty will put a stop to that trend.
While very few people would have predicted she would win on the Paris clay, I see her as a natural winner at Wimbledon. Barty’s game is tailor-made for grass courts.
She is a bit of a throwback to the past. There’s a lot of variety in her game. She serve-volleys, she slices and dices, she mixes things up, but has power when she needs it.
Just as important is her mental approach. Five years ago, Ashleigh became so disillusioned with life on the tennis circuit, she gave up the game to concentrate on cricket for two years.
Then the Australian realised that she missed tennis. After working with a sports psychologist, she came back mentally refreshed, and has gone from strength to strength. Even without her French win I would have put Barty in the mix for Wimbledon. I believe the extra confidence she has will be crucial.
Of course, there are still a lot of potential winners. Naomi Osaka is one of them, but the Japanese girl is a strange case.
Osaka (inset) won the US Open last year, beating Serena Williams in a controversial final, and won back-to-back Grand Slams by taking the Australian title in January. Then she sacked her coach! Why would you do that?
Osaka has not been the same player since. It’s pretty weird, but Osaka must be counted as a threat. Obviously you cannot ignore Serena Williams. If she is fit – who knows – she will be there or thereabouts, but I don’t make her a favourite. Madison Keys is a player I enjoy watching. She has a lot of ammunition in her game. Sooner or later, I expect her to put it all together in a major.
I also like the way Dutch girl, Kiki Bertens, goes about her business.
Of course, home hopes will be with Jo Konta, but I fear her inconsistency will continue to haunt her.
But there are so many who could win Wimbledon.
Garbine Muguruza has won before, Angelique Kerber is the holder, Simona Halep is a solid player, Sloane Stephens has the talent, Karolina Pliskova is due a big win.
Maybe I should stick with the pin method? No, I reckon Ashleigh Barty will take the title Down Under.