BRISBANE - Australian star Ashleigh Barty is hoping to make the best start possible at her home Grand Slam next month - and wants to spend 2019 securing a place for herself in the Top 10 of the rankings.
“That’s the ultimate goal – to try to go deep into the Australian Open, and deep into the other slams throughout the year,” Barty said.
“That’s what will take my tennis and team to the next level, and trying to crack the Top 10. I think women’s tennis is so open. Anyone in the Top 30 can do damage in the big tournaments.”
One player who did crack the Top 10 in 2018 is Naomi Osaka, who also picked up her first Grand Slam when she beat Serena Williams in the US Open final.
She also has big plans for next year. “I never feel pressure to perform,” Osaka told reporters on arrival in Australia. “I enjoy Grand Slams the most. I always feel there is a certain degree of pressure - but it’s from myself. I definitely accomplished a lot of things that I wanted ever since I was growing up. Hopefully, I can do better this year. I will see how it goes. For me, I really love coming to Australia every time and I always seem to do well here so I would like to do well in the first tournament (in Brisbane).”
