"I remember it well" says Barty of Sydney final defeat to Kerber ahead of Wimbledon clash

The 2019 season was Barty's best one as she won her maiden Grand Slam title at the French Open while also jumping to number one in the rankings. It's 2021 and she's still number one with a familiar face waiting on the other side of the court. Asked about facing Kerber she remembered the final and the impact the loss had on her:

"I remember that match well. It was my first final in Australia, in Sydney. I think that match, I think just one break each set in the final. I remember coming off the court and feeling like my level was close, but it wasn’t good enough. I was close, but there was that extra step that I needed to take to compete with someone of Angie’s calibre in the sense of she doesn’t give you cheapies."

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The German has a 3-2 H2H against Barty but the last match came in 2019 which was a long time ago. Now they will play a match with the highest of stakes, a Wimbledon final. Asked about that Barty said:

“She competes for every single point. She’s won grand slams. She knows how to hang tough in brutal moments. That was almost a bit of a reset knowing I’m not far off, but I’m not there yet.”