3 minute read

Ash Barty reckons that if she wants to make her Wimbledon dream come true, she'll have to play the match of her life against Karolina Pliskova in the final.

Ash Barty says it would be a dream come true to hold the Venus Rosewater Dish as Wimbledon champion - and she believes she will have to ascend to a new level on Centre Court to turn that fantasy into a reality.

On the eve of Saturday's eagerly-awaited final against Czech Karolina Pliskova, Barty was reported by her coach Craig Tyzzer to be "feeling great".

Barty, who looked relaxed while enjoying a gentle hit-out on Friday on Wimbledon's practice courts, will be the first Australian woman since Evonne Goolagong Cawley, who beat Chris Evert back in 1980, to feature in singles final at the All England Club.

And, win or lose, the 25-year-old is determined to savour every single moment of the experience.

Asked what it would mean to her to hold the sport's famous trophy dish, Barty said: "It would be a dream come true, it really would.

"It took me a long time to verbalise that winning Wimbledon was my biggest dream - and now I've got the opportunity, it's incredibly exciting.

"Regardless of what happens on Saturday, I've promised myself that I'm going to enjoy it."

Barty had said before her dazzling semi-final performance against former champ Angelique Kerber that she felt it was her "ultimate test" - but she reckons that she will have to find an even higher level to beat another former world No.1 Pliskova.

"Without a doubt (I'll have to play better). It's going to have to be up there with the very best I can produce - and that's the challenge," she said.

"You expect nothing less in a grand slam final. It's a challenge I'm really looking forward to."

British bookmakers have the world No.1 down as the overwhelming odds-on favourite, as she holds a 5-2 career head-to-head record against big-serving Pliskova and won their only meeting this season.

Tyzzer told reporters on Friday he felt Barty had shown her courage by making it public a few months ago that winning Wimbledon was her ultimate dream but now he felt she was in great shape mentally and physically to do "one more job".

"It takes a lot to come out and make a statement like that, to say this is what I want to do. It's always been on her mind," said Tyzzer.

"It's probably on every tennis player's mind that this is the tournament they want to win.

"But to come out and say it is a big step. You put it out there. But Ash has been the sort of person who will put it all on the line.

"She'll do her best. If it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out. She's not afraid to try.

"If you get it wrong, you get it wrong. If you try and fail, that's still okay.

"Her confidence level has been really good. She's been building, it's getting better.

"We've got one more job to do. Hopefully she comes out and performs as well as she can again."