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Ash Barty says she's "good to go" at Wimbledon after being given the honour of playing the first match on Centre Court on Tuesday's 'Ladies Day'.
Ash Barty says she is "good to go" in her bid to win Wimbledon and feels humbled at being given the honour of opening up on Centre Court on Tuesday in the slot usually reserved for the reigning ladies' champion.
After the 2019 winner Simona Halep was forced to withdraw with injury, organisers have asked world No.1 Barty to take the Romanian's place on the traditional 'ladies' day' to mark the 50th anniversary of Australian icon Evonne Goolagong winning the title.
Barty, who'll be facing Spanish cancer survivor Carla Suarez Navarro in an emotional opener, said on Saturday: "It's incredibly special, it's an opportunity very few people get to experience.
"I'm extremely humbled to have the honour and hope I can really go out there on a really special occasion for Australian tennis with it being the 50th anniversary of Evonne's win.
"Evonne has guided the way. She's created a path for all of us as Australians, but as a family and for our heritage to know that there is an opportunity to chase after your dreams and to do what you love. She's created a legacy like no other in Australia.
"I'm exceptionally proud to be able to call her a friend and a mentor. For me to be able to pay tribute to that on a really special anniversary is something that I'll never forget."
Speaking for the first time since her disappointment in Paris where she was forced to pull out of the French Open with a hip injury during her second round match, Barty said: "I feel like I'm fit, I'm ready to play, I'm excited to play.
"Straight after Paris, obviously there was some time where we needed to digest what was going on. We needed to get a full diagnosis. We were able to do that, which is a really crucial part of my rehab.
"We've been able to go through the rehab, do what we've needed to do, give ourselves the best chance to play here at Wimbledon."
However, when asked twice if she was 100 per cent fit, Barty wouldn't give a direct answer and just smiled each time: "I'm good to go."
Barty has had no grass-court tournament preparation leading into The Championships which begin on Monday, yet is adamant that she's not worried.
"My preparation has been as good as it could be. Yes, I haven't played a tournament leading in, but it's not something that I focus on, not something that I'm concerned about."
A decade since winning the junior title at London SW19, Barty sounded as upbeat as ever.
"One day I would love to be the champion here. It's a dream. It's a goal. Dreams don't always come true, but you can fight and do everything you can to give yourself that opportunity.
"You can dare to dream, you can try and dream big."
She's particularly emotional about her first opponent being 32-year-old Suarez Navarro, who was diagnosed with early-stage Hodgkin's lymphoma last year but has recovered to play in one final Wimbledon tournament.
"It's incredible to have Carla back. Just to see her back here doing what she loves has brought a smile to not only my face but all the other players," said Barty.
"For me to be able to experience opening Centre Court on Tuesday with her is going to be really cool."
