Ashleigh Barty news: ‘Total package’ Barty backed to ‘take women’s tennis to the next level’

Shahida Jacobs
Ashleigh Barty celebrates her Australian Open title

Ashleigh Barty has what it takes to complete a career Grand Slam and will push the women’s game up to another level the same way Roger Federer did with the men’s game, according to Mats Wilander.

The Australian became a three-time major winner on Saturday after she brushed aside Danielle Collins in straight sets to win the Australian Open.

Not only did she end Australia’s 44-wait for another home women’s champion, but she also became only the second active player after Serena Williams to win a Grand Slam on all three major surfaces, having also won the French Open and Wimbledon.

Seven-time Grand Slam champion Wilander believes the 25-year-old “can win 10 more Grand Slams”.

“She can win many more because she can win all four of them (the Grand Slams),” he told Eurosport.

“I don’t see a style that’s going to bother her, I don’t see a surface that bothers her. I would put her in to play for me any day because I know I’m going to get the best Barty on the day that you can get.

“She’s going to problem solve, she’s going to have that serve, a sliced backhand. She’s the total package for me. She can win 10 more Grand Slams in my book.”

Barty has been the best player in the women’s game for several years now as she has finished as the year-end No 1 for three consecutive years.

And Wilander fully expects her to continue to dominate and feels she is going to give women’s tennis a big boost.

The Swede added: “She’s going to take the women’s game to the next level.

“Just like Roger Federer did. You would have to come out and beat Roger Federer off the court because he’s going to try and make you feel absolutely miserable. Ash Barty, this is it.

“This was not a great match [on Saturday], nor was it a bad match. This was Ash Barty to me. And if you’re Naomi Osaka watching this, you’ve got to come out with some serious weapons and variety or you’re not beating Ash Barty. So I think she’s going to push the level up.

“Another thing, I love that she talks about her opponents so much. In the women’s game we’ve kind of gone away from that a little bit and ‘I’m going to play my game’. Ash Barty plays the game that doesn’t suit her opponent and that’s the sign of a great champion to me.”

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