“Going to Be Tough Now”: Ashleigh Barty Opens up on Injury Concerns at French Open 2021

The French Open 2021 is turning out to be a nightmare for top players in both men’s and women’s singles draw as they were exiting the tournament every day. While fans are yet to digest the shock withdrawal announcement of Naomi Osaka, world number one Ashleigh Barty came close to a first-round defeat on the Parisian clay, before turning victorious against Bernarda Pera 6-4,3-6,6-2.

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Ashleigh Barty admitted that she wasn’t fully fit after 1sr round victory at French Open

The 2019 Roland Garros winner entered the match with a left thigh strap, but managed to win the first set comfortably. By the end of first set, the Australian reduced the pace on her serves and it became the first hint that something was wrong with her.

By the end of second set, Barty took a match time-out and called in the physio to relieve the hip pain temporarily. However, the Aussie continued to roll past the American in the third set and won the match.

In the post-match interview, the world number said, “Not going to hide behind the fact I’m not quite 100%”. The reason behind the time-out was Barty’s left hip, which started troubling her since the weekend.

Even at the Italian Open earlier this month, Ash Barty had to retire from her quarter-final match against the in-form American Coco Gauff due to an injury to her right-arm. Still, Barty ensured that she will give her absolute best and continue to compete harder in the coming rounds.

“But I can guarantee that I will go out there with the right attitude every day and be accepting of that, and give it a crack no matter what. It’s going to be tough now w/o a doubt”, explained the Aussie.

The Aussie had a tremendous start to her clay-court season, where she won both singles and doubles titles at Stuttgart Open. Barty also reached the finals in Madrid and lost to Aryna Sabalenka in a tight, three-set thriller.

Player injuries troubling French Open as Petra Kvitova withdrew earlier today

From the words of Barty, it’s evident that she is dealing with a troublesome injury. Despite the injury, the Australian was still getting a lot of free points against Bernarda Pera in the first-round.

But, when Barty has to face an established clay-courter, she has to grind through to win her points. With the Aussie revealing few details about the injury, how deep can she go on the Parisian clay still remains to be seen.

On the other hand, former Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova also withdrew from the French Open as she suffered an injury after doing press duties post her first-round match.

Also read: Ashleigh Barty Escapes 1R Three-Setter Against Bernarda Pera but Raises Injury Concerns at French Open 2021