Miami Open winner Ashleigh Barty insisted she is a worthy world primary on Saturday after defeating Bianca Andreescu to retain her crown. The 24-year-old Australian star served discover of her willpower to be a drive this season with a 6-3, 4-0 victory as Andreescu retired with a foot harm within the second set. Barty, assured of holding on to her No.1 rating earlier than Saturday’s remaining, had confronted sniping from some gamers over her continued presence at high spot.
The Queenslander has benefited from a tweak into the way in which rankings are calculated which takes into consideration the disruption brought on by final yr’s pandemic shutdown. Nonetheless, Barty shrugged off the criticism on Saturday following her Miami win, rejecting a suggestion that her newest title “proved” she deserved her No.1 standing.
Congratulations to World No.1 Ash Barty on her 2nd #MiamiOpen title! pic.twitter.com/MMxu1jqFQA
— Miami Open (@MiamiOpen) April 3, 2021
Barty mentioned: “I by no means must show something to anybody… I do know all of the work that I do with my staff behind the scenes… I do know there was loads of speak concerning the rating, however I did not play in any respect final yr and I did not enhance any of my factors in any way.”
“Sure, I did not drop, however I did not enhance any. I did not play any in any respect. There have been ladies who had the possibility to enhance theirs, so I felt like I totally deserve my spot on the high of the rankings.”
Barty, the 2019 French Open champion, has held the No.1 rating since September of that yr, regardless of skipping the rescheduled US and French Opens in 2020 to stay in Australia.
“The yr we had in 2019 was unimaginable, unimaginable for us, and, you realize, to have the ability to construct on that now for the reason that restart for us has been nice… We come out right here and do the very best that we are able to no matter what anybody is saying. So I by no means really feel like I’ve to show something to anybody.”
Barty added that she was unfazed by critics who’ve instructed that Naomi Osaka, winner of final yr’s US Open and this yr’s Australian Open, was extra deserving of No.1 standing.
She added: “Everyone seems to be entitled to their very own opinion. That is completely fantastic. I am unable to management what anybody else thinks or what anybody else says. I really feel like we should be high of the rankings.”
“It does not ever actually get to me. I imply, it is simply what individuals say and I am unable to change their opinion, so it does not stress me out in any respect.”
Barty, who opted to stay in Australia final yr after the WTA season resumed following the pandemic shutdown, is now wanting ahead to a crowded schedule. She’s going to play the WTA occasion in Charleston subsequent week as a part of preparations for the European clay courtroom season the place she’s going to play in Madrid, Stuttgart and Rome earlier than aiming to regain her French Open title at Roland Garros.
Promoted
Barty remembered her performances in 2019 and mentioned:
“In 2019 all through every week that I performed, I felt like I bought higher and higher on the clay and clearly grew in confidence and grew in expertise… If it seems we’ve an incredible clay courtroom season, that is incredible, and if we do not, then it is not the top of the world.”
