Homage to Goolagong
of my rehab. We’ve been able to go through the rehab, do what we’ve needed to do, give ourselves the best chance to play here at Wimbledon. Now I feel like I’m fit. I’m ready to play. I’m excited to play.”
Despite winning her first Grand Slam title on clay at Roland Garros two years ago, Barty has always been one of the few natural players on grass and someone marked out early on as a potential future Wimbledon champion.
The 25-year-old does not shy away from setting that as her goal, saying: “Over the last couple of years, I’ve learnt a lot about myself. And in particular last year, being away and not having the opportunity to play here at Wimbledon, it almost reminded me of how much I do love coming here and how much this tournament means to me.
“One day I would love to be the champion here. It’s a dream. It’s a goal. Dreams don’t always come true, but you can fight and do everything you can to give yourself that opportunity.
“That’s been a lot of my learnings over the last two years – not just as a professional tennis player, but as a person – is putting my hopes and dreams out into the universe and chasing them.”
Success for Barty on Tuesday would mean a Wimbledon farewell for her opponent, veteran Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro, who will retire later this year.
Suarez Navarro, who is one of the most-popular players on tour, returned to Grand Slam action at the French Open after recovering from Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
“It’s incredible to have Carla back,” said Barty. “I hope that we have a great match. To see her doing what she loves again is really, really awesome.”