Australian Open 2022: How Aussie champion Ash Barty ensued Covid wouldn’t ruin grand slam dreams
A self-inflicted lockdown bubble ensured Ashleigh Barty‘s lifelong dream of winning the Australian Open wasn’t derailed by Covid-19.
Shutting herself off from the outside world paid off for the women’s world number one on her way to winning a third grand slam title and first on home soil.
With the hopes of a nation on her shoulders, Barty didn’t drop a set throughout the entire tournament as she became the first Australian in 44 years to win a single title at the grand slam.
As the Omicron outbreak swept across Australia with more than 100,000 daily infections, Barty took every precaution possible to prevent Covid-19 throwing her title hopes into disarray.
Newly crowned Australian Open champion Ash Barty has spent the last two weeks in a self-imposed lockdown bubble with fiance Gary Kissick (pictured together)
She withdrew from the Sydney Tennis Classic at the last minute to focus on the Australian Open as she bunkered down with fiancé Garry Kissick and her mum Josie.
Barty, 25, has had little to do with the outside world away the Melbourne Park precinct in the last fortnight, apart from a daily hit of caffeine.
‘We were pretty careful. I was staying with Garry and my mum, and we were pretty much in lockdown,’ she told reporters on Sunday.
‘We didn’t leave. We would just go in the morning and get a takeaway coffee, we didn’t go to any restaurants, didn’t go out anywhere.
‘It has been two weeks of hermit life, I don’t have a problem with it.’
‘It was a pretty quiet two weeks just to eliminate the risk.’
Ash Barty (pictured with the Australian Open trophy on Sunday)has spent the last two weeks living a hermit life to ensue her grand slam dreams weren’t ruined by Covid
Barty revealed earlier in the tournament she was living a hermit life and that Covid protocols weren’t affecting her too much.
‘We come and practice and do what we need to do. Otherwise, a good book and a coffee and I’m se,’ she said.
Frenchman Ugo Humbert and Belgian Alison Uytvanck both tested positive during the Australian Open while Aussie Nick Kyrgios had his preparations derailed by the virus days out from the tournament.
German world number three Alexander Zverev revealed earlier in the tournament he too was living in a self-imposed bubble as he slammed the lack of testing.
‘We are allowed to go outside to eat, allowed to do whatever we want, so I think it’s natural that more people get Covid,’ he said.
‘I understand that there is a lot of cases in Melbourne, in Australia all around. So I don’t do much outside, I haven’t been to any restaurants yet, I haven’t been out.
‘I haven’t been anywhere but the hotel room and the courts, so I’m kind of doing a bubble for myself, simply because I don’t want to take any risks and I want to give myself the best chance possible to do well here.’
Ash Barty celebrated a glass of champagne at her post-match press conference after shutting herself off from the outside world during the Australian Open
Barty enjoyed a beer during an live interview with Channel Nine commentary team shortly after defeated American 27th seed Danielle Collins Saturday night’s final before enjoying a few quiet ones with family and friends.
‘From the start, even all of our extended team, we just tried to do the right thing like we’d done the last 18 months, two years, just not be silly with it and just not add any extra unnecessary risk for a couple of weeks,’ she said.
‘We can enjoy this, and now we can do what we want.’
Barty will return home to Queensland in the coming days, where there are growing calls for a statue to be erected in Barty’s hometown of Ipswich west of Brisbane’s outskirts.
Several online petitions have been inundated with signatures while Ipswich City Council plastered billboards around the town within hours of Barty’s latest accolade
As Omicron outbreak swept across the nation, Ash Barty (right) shut herself off from the outside wirld with fiance Garry Kissick
‘It’s really wonderful that people talk about the fact she’s from Ipswich,’ mayor Teresa Harding said.
‘She’s from the suburb of Springfield so we would love to be part of it as well.’
Barty already has the keys to Ipswich and already has a tennis court named after her.
The council’s next plan is to hopefully build a statue in her honour.
‘We’re in discussions with Ash’s team on it,’ Cr Harding said.
‘Council is already exploring ways we can honour Ash’s amazing achievements.
‘We’ve received so many wonderful suggestions from the Ipswich community.’
Dozens of billboard posters (pictured) have been plastered in Ash Barty’s hometown of Ipswich