"This is what life is all about": Ash Barty's special guest
Ash Barty has brought a special guest to her press conference following her semi-final loss to Sofia Kenin.
The 23-year-old walked into the Melbourne Park press conference Thursday with her baby niece Olivia in her arms.
“It’s not mine,” Barty said jokingly.
“It’s my newest niece. My sister just had her 11 or 12 weeks ago. This is what life is all about. It’s amazing.”
"Perspective is a beautiful thing. Life is a beautiful thing."
-@AshBarty
Even after a tough loss, Barty is reminding us that there's life (and a baby 👶🏻) outside of tennis.
Well done, Ash.#AusOpen pic.twitter.com/oYigehi4sL— TENNIS (@Tennis) January 30, 2020
A reporter asked if the little girl had given Barty any comfort after her 6-7 (6-8), 5-7 defeat.
“Perspective is a beautiful thing,” Barty said. “Life is a beautiful thing. She brought a smile to my face as soon as I walked off the court. I get to give her a hug and it’s all good. It’s all good.”
The world number one player also addressed her exit from the Australian Open, which ended her prospect of becoming the first Australian woman to make the tournament’s final since Wendy Turnbull in 1980.
“Yeah, it’s been disappointing, but it’s been a hell of a summer,” she said.
“If you had told me three weeks ago that we would have won a tournament in Adelaide, and made the semi-finals of the Australian Open, I’d take that absolutely every single day of the week.
“But I put myself in a position to win the match today and just didn’t play the biggest points well enough to be able to win.
“I have to give credit where credit’s due. Sofia came out and played aggressively on those points and deserved to win.”
Barty said the hot conditions were not an issue because she grew up in hot and humid Brisbane.
“I try and go out and play the way I want to play. If it doesn’t work, I know I have different tools I can go to,” she said.
“I tried to go to those tools today. Unfortunately I couldn’t quite scrap enough to get over the line.”