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"Everyone has their own journey": Ash Barty's take on Kyrgios and Tomic shows why she's world No. 1.

 

Whether they’re sipping Pimm’s in the English summer heat or watching the action from their living rooms, all Australian tennis fans care about at the 2019 Wimbledon tournament is Ashleigh Barty.

The 23-year-old Aussie is the face of Australian sport we can all be proud of, and after winning both the French Open and the Birmingham classic in June, the entire country is cheering her on to take out Wimbledon, too.

Despite being the highest-ranked female tennis player in the world to step out onto Wimbledon’s prestigious courts this year, the world No. 1’s press conferences have been littered with questions about two men.

Nick Kyrgios and Bernard Tomic.

Want to know what it takes to be an Aussie sporting hero? Mamamia investigated what separates the Bartys from the Bernards in becoming an Australian sports icon in the video below. Post continues after video.

Video by MMC

As we’ve come to expect from two of Australia’s most talented and worst behaved male tennis players, Kyrgios’ and Tomic’s Wimbledon efforts have disappointed.

On Thursday, 26-year-old Tomic was stripped of his entire $81,000 Wimbledon prize money for his lacklustre efforts during his first-round loss to French player Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. The 58-minute takedown was the second shortest men’s singles match in Wimbledon’s 142-year history.

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When asked for her opinion of Tomic’s situation, Barty kept tight lipped.

“I didn’t see the match, so I can’t comment,” she said, News.com.au reports.

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Bernard Tomic may lose his Wimbledon prize money, simply because he didn't try hard enough. Image: Getty.

Kyrgios fared slightly better at Wimbledon this year.

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The 24-year-old won his first-round match against fellow Aussie Jordan Thompson (fans were furious when Channel 7 aired this men's match over Barty's), only to lose to tennis great Rafael Nadal on Thursday.

Kyrgios prepared for the important match by hanging out at a London pub the night before, and spent the entirety of the match abusing the chair umpire. He also purposely belted a ball at Nadal, and refused to apologise.

Of his performance, Barty again had little to say.

“I didn’t see any of it (Kyrgios’s match against Thompson). We were warming up when they started. I was warming up physically when they were playing. I didn’t see any of it,” she said.

“Not often do the two of us actually cross paths. We probably only play a handful of tournaments when we’re in the same place. I don’t really watch a lot of his matches. I don’t watch a lot of tennis matches in general. It’s not really for me to comment on.”

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Kyrgios went down to Nadal kicking and screaming. Literally. Image: Mamamia.
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In contrast, Barty is on track to maintain her No. 1 title if her performances at Wimbledon thus far are anything to go by. Barty won her round-one match against Chinese player Zheng Saisai in straight sets 6-4, 6-2, and round two saw her triumph over Belgium's Alison Van Uytvanck 6-1, 6-3.

On Saturday night, Barty will continue her Wimbledon campaign with a third-round match against British wildcard Harriet Dart.

Although Barty's rise might seem sudden to some, those who have been following her career would know her success is a result of a long slog of hard work and dedication, as well as a two-year break from tennis altogether.

Despite being the junior Wimbledon champion in 2011, Barty stepped away from playing professional tennis at 17 years old in 2014 due to the overwhelming demand she felt and its impact on her mental state.

During her tennis hiatus, Barty remained a true athlete, playing in the Women's Big Bash League for Brisbane Heat before returning to tennis in 2016 refreshed and with a positive mindset.

Side note - Mamamia Out Loud discussed the rise and rise of Ash Barty in this episode below. Post continues after audio.

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Ahead of of her third-round match, Barty was again asked to comment on Kyrgios and Tomic. This time, if she thought they would benefit from a similar break from tennis.

She had nothing specific to say and brought the conversation back to her own experiences.

"As I say time and time again, everyone has their own unique journey, their own path to pave. It's impossible for me to give advice to anyone," she said, AAP reports.

"What I've done in my career and my team have worked for us. There have been some tough times, that's for sure... I think I learned a lot better over the past few years to really appreciate the position I'm in, enjoy it every single day.

"At the end of the day, it's only a tennis match. If you win, great. If you don't, it's not the end of the world."

Barty's responses to the inevitable questions about the antics of our other Australian tennis stars aren't sensational, nor do they make for great news headlines.

But right now, Ash Barty is focused on Ash Barty. It's probably how she got to be No. 1.

Are you watching Wimbledon? Do you think there's hope for the likes of Nick Kyrgios and Bernard Tomic? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.

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