Barty downplays unconvincing performance in win over Blinkova - "It was just not a great serving day"
WTA
Ashleigh Barty may have gotten through to the third round at Wimbledon, but it was more due to her opponent's inability to capitalize on opportunities rather than any stellar play from the World No.1.
Barty defeated Anna Blinkova 6-4 6-3 on Thursday in her second round match, but did so after putting up an unforgivable 33 unforced errors. Furthermore, the Aussie hit a total of nine double faults, in a display that may have seen her lose to a more experienced player.
"I think it was just not a great serving day, and certainly not something I’m going to blow out of proportion," said Barty after the match. "I felt like I was just out of rhythm a little bit, a few technical things were not quite feeling spot on."
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After retiring in the second round of Roland Garros due to a hip injury, there has been talk that the Aussie is not 100%. Barty was quick to dispel these rumors, stating that her service woes were due to her being off rhythm.
"I feel fine," the 25-year old said when asked about her health. "But you have those days, some days you feel like you’re eight foot tall and you can’t miss the box, other days, like today, you feel like you’re three foot nothing and just getting it over the net is a bit of a battle. So I think we just go back to work, it’s certainly nothing that will concern me over a longer period.”
Growing up in a household where soccer was king, my earliest memories are filled with chants from packed stadiums and the rhythm of a ball being passed across neighborhood streets. But somewhere along the way, the quiet elegance and raw emotion of tennis pulled me in. What began as a curiosity became a lifelong passion; not just for the sport itself, but for the stories it tells: of grit, of heartbreak, of improbable comebacks and human resilience.
As a tennis writer, I bring the observational lens of someone who didn’t grow up in the sport, but fell in love with it as an outsider; a perspective that lets me see both its technical beauty and its emotional depth. Over the years working with TennisUpToDate, I’ve had the privilege of reaching more than 3.5 million readers worldwide, with one of my features ranking among the site’s top three articles.
With a background in storytelling and a creative mind always searching for meaning beyond the scoreboard, I aim to craft narratives that go deeper than results and rankings. Whether it’s a rising star breaking through or a veteran fighting off Father Time, I try to capture the heartbeat behind the headlines.
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mandoist12-11-2026 - Tell this to Andreeva!
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mandoist12-11-2026 - I predicted whenthe list was finalised that Linda Noskova would win the WTA Finals and her matches against Gauff and Kostyuk prove that. She is the best (underrated) player in the world!Rapunzel11-11-2026
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mandoist09-11-2026 - Ironically, Martina became a U.S. Citizen about the same time as the Orange Convicted Felon & Abuser was just beginning on his road to losing all Daddy's Millions!!
mandoist09-11-2026 - "Another fresh start is in the cards." Thanks for the Humor!! I'm guessing this is the minimum one can do to keep all your sponsors hanging-on in perpetuity?
mandoist09-11-2026 - Vukov is doing this to Lena... AGAIN!!!!! WTA's autonomous collective should be dismantled for allowing Vukov to re-emerge from his hand-slapping suspension. Just ask WTA employees how that's been going lately as they witness his continued verbal abuses. Women's Pro Tennis should start over.
mandoist08-11-2026 - Can't help but suspect Vukov is back to his old self again. Thank you, WTA. Perhaps you can give them a "Battling Couple of the Year Award 2026" ??
mandoist08-11-2026








