London: Very few manage to turn dreams into reality and those that do it are exceptions. Well, it has always been Ashleigh Barty’s dream to win the women’s singles crown at Wimbledon. She did exactly that Saturday beating Karolina Pliskova 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 6-3 in a pulsating final which saw plenty of ups and downs. On her part, Pliskova made the contest an entertaining one, challenging the prowess of Barty at every juncture. In the end however, Barty’s all-round superior court craft prevailed as she won the second Grand Slam title of her career. She had earlier won the French Open in 2019.
Barty did wobble as she served for the match in the third set and faced a breakpoint at 30-40. But she held firm and then produced her seventh ace of the tie to go to match point. Then she sank on her knees in disbelief as Pliskova hit a forehand into the net. No she did not eat the Centre Court grass as Novak Djokovic does, and may do so again Sunday.
“It’s a moment, I really cannot describe,” Barty said after being presented the winner’s trophy by the Duchess of Cambridge. “It’s still an incredulous feeling, this is what I’ve lived for,” she added. Barty was asked as to what her feelings were after the final point and pat came the reply, “I don’t remember.”
She may not remember, but this was a match that greats like Martina Navratilova and Billie Jean King will certainly remember. It was a match where both players played grass court tennis. No it was not just pointless hitting from the baseline. There were volleys, drop shots, lobs, passing shots and the chip and charge that make grass court tennis so exciting. In the end, Barty just played the crucial points a bit better than Pliskova to have the last laugh.
In the process, Barty emulated her mentor, her inspiration and her idol Evonne Goolagong Cawley. The latter was the last Australian woman to win the Wimbledon singles title in 1980. Since then, no one had been able to stamp Aussie authority at Centre Court. Barty did that Saturday with some great shot-making.
Barty, who is 25, was the junior champion at Wimbledon a decade ago. She then left the tennis tour for nearly two years in 2014 because of burnout. She played professional cricket back home, then eventually decided to return to her other sport. It was good that she did.
