Ash Barty opens up on the question about Naomi Osaka that infuriated her before she won the 2022 Australian Open
- Ash Barty has revealed the one question which angered her last year
- The 27-year-old triumphed at the Australian Open in Melbourne
- But she was unimpressed with questions about her world ranking
Ash Barty has revealed that she was irked by one particular question during her Australian Open 2022 title run.
Barty, 27, triumphed in her home slam 18 months ago, beating Danielle Collins 6-3, 7-6 in the final on the Rod Laver Arena before shocking the tennis world later in 2022 by retiring from the sport.
The Australian’s victory in Melbourne saw her universally recognised as the best women’s player on the planet, making her retirement all the more perplexing.
But Barty had to fight hard for her status as the world’s No 1 tennis star to be acknowledged.
She arrived at Melbourne Park as the newly-crowned best women’s player on the planet, replacing Japanese sensation Naomi Osaka at the top of the rankings.
Ash Barty has revealed which question angered her at the Australian Open
The 27-year-old triumphed in her home grand slam at Melbourne Park last year
But she was irked by those questioning her No 1 world ranking ahead of Naomi Osaka
That call was not widely accepted by fans and pundits, with questions about her ranking following her throughout the two-week tournament.
And Barty says that the perpetual debate made her ‘angry’ and all the more eager to silence her critics.
‘There was plenty of noise, ‘Is Ash the best player in the world?’ and that made me angry,’ Barty told Hamish McLachlan’s podcast.
‘That really p***ed me off because I know I am the best player in the world.’
Channel 7 host McLachlan has launched a new podcast series – Let’s Talk – from the Danny Frawley Centre at Moorabbin this week.
He has interviewed Barty as well as the likes of swimming champion Ian Thorpe, former Collingwood Nathan Buckley and Aussie boxer Harry Garside.
