Saturday, June 29, 2019

Who Does She Look Like?

We have a new world number one.



Now usually this would be a great excuse for this BACKSPINNER to write a fawning piece about how Evonne Goolagong has inspired a new generation of Australian tennis stars. This time, however, the topic is different.

While a mixed doubles combination of Roger Federer and Evonne Goolagong (or, at a pinch, Thiem or Gasquet) would have me in raptures and inspire a whole catalogue of articles about sheer beauty, the past is past.

Let’s talk about who she resembles, who she reflects. Every time we get a new number one we have to have the comparison. So I’m going to float one...

Great smile, short, athletic, all-court ability and a great smile. Am I talking about Ash or about "Brian’s wife?"


They both have good serves, move excellently and can hit any shot. It’s not enough to be able to hit any shot. Just ask Nicole Vaidisova. You need shot selection too. Clijsters and Barty both have an innate sense of when the right time to hit the dropshot is. In the 2009 US Open semi-final the Belgian hit one of the best lobs this BACKSPINNER has ever seen. Just because you have the shot doesn’t mean you have to use it. You got that, Gael and Nick?

To break it down a little, the Barty slice and backhand is better overall. It’s the best slice in the world right now and has been for the last six months. Clijsters' forehand is the biggest weapon either of them possesses, though the crosscourt forehand the Aussie can hit is enormous.

The serves are totally different animals. It’s hard to really choose between them.

Then there’s the matter of history. One of the best things Barty did after her win was acknowledge "Sam" during her speech. Nobody in the Open era has a better record at Roland Garros without winning it. Before Clijsters there was Justine Henin. Before Barty there was Sam. Stosur is still the only player outside the Williams sisters to have won a slam in three disciplines.

Henin won her first title in 1999, in Antwerp. She was only the fifth player to win her debut event. It’s hard to say who paved the way for who, but she and Clijsters rose at the same time. Clijsters made her maiden slam final in Paris in 2001, losing an all-time classic in heart-breaking fashion. That final is still regarded as one of the greatest ever. Henin followed soon after, losing to Venus Williams, at Wimbledon in 2001. Whilst Henin soon started winning slams, it wouldn’t be until 2005 that Kim won her first. Perhaps that loss to Jennifer Capriati haunted her? In the semi-finals at Roland Garros in 2001 Henin was up 6-2, 4-2 and couldn’t close it out. Read this interesting article to find out more about the match and get an amusing anecdote or two, also.

Henin and Stosur had not just an affinity for clay but also one big weakness which limited them. Or as much as one of the greats can be limited. A commentator once remarked that Henin always tried to serve like a big woman but couldn’t. That serve never quite worked the way she wanted it to.

And Stosur’s head was enough to break your heart. To watch her lose the same way over and over again pulled at the heart-strings. She just could not get her head together. It was almost as if she didn’t believe she was good enough. Too shy, too reserved to handle the enormous weapons she had. There was a time when her forehand and serve were second-to-none. Until Serena returned. While the Williams sisters really were Henin’s bane, Stosur was within a couple of points of beating Serena 6-2, 6-3 at two slams.

And here’s something else spooky; Stosur was born and raised 40 minutes from Barty’s homeplace. And it’s the same with the Belgians, though they spoke different languages.

So - all-court ability, compatriots paving the way (sort of), ability to hit any shot, first slam final in Paris, an amazing smile and the break mid-career.

Ah, but there’s one more thing. The ace in the hole. The doubles. In 2013 Ash Barty made three finals in women’s doubles. That’s an astonishing achievement. She was 17 at the time. Since then she has won the US Open with CoCo Vandeweghe and made another final. She has been to the finals of all four slams in women’s doubles. She and Casey Dellacqua were a formidable partnership from 2013-14 and again in 2017.

And Casey is still supporting her.




Barty’s high of 5 in doubles is not as good as Clijsters holding both the singles and doubles top ranking simultaneously. It is unlikely any player will ever again do that. She and Ai Sugyiama defeated Pascual/Saurez at the French Open and Wimbledon in 2003. From 2001 to the WTA Doubles championship [YEC] in 2003 they formed an excellent partnership together. She never made another doubles final after losing in the final of the year end tournament.

When you say Ash Barty I am reminded of Clijsters.

Though at age 23 Clijsters was retired while Barty has the world at her feet.

Read more!

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 2:49 PM 

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