Ash Barty is happily retired and preparing for parenthood but, on the eve of the Australian Open, a chief weapon of the defending champion still frightened the life out of tournament favourite Iga Swiatek.
Like the Australian who she replaced as the world No.1, the Polish champion is an avid reader of books and an excerpt from Barty’s autobiography, My Dream Time, was playing on her mind.
“When I played against her, I felt like she just had all these different game styles and slices,” Swiatek said. “Even in her book, she says she has five types of slices. I don’t know how that’s possible. I still haven’t figured out only one type.”
Barty could make the slice slither and skid, spin sideways or stop suddenly. And the fifth?
Shane Warne never revealed how he bowled the “zooter”, but there is every bet Barty had a mystery version of her own that befuddled her rivals.
Part of its effectiveness is that as the modern-game became more focused on power, fewer women possessed the ability to truly knife the ball in the manner of the reigning Australian Open champion.
Ash Barty plays a slice backhand.Credit:Getty Images
World No.2 Ons Jabeur, who cut a desolate figure in the corridors of Melbourne Park on Thursday night after being beaten by Marketa Vondrousova, comes closest among current players to using the slice with similar effect to Barty.
Former French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova, who plays third seed Jessica Pegula on Sunday, is another. Her ability to cut around both sides of the tennis ball was evident in her third round win over Anhelina Kalinina, with her slice shooting through the court and keeping the Ukrainian guessing.
Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, who plays Swiatek on Sunday for a spot in the quarter-finals, is another with the ability to strike a vicious slice.
The comeback of the shot in women’s ranks seems fitting in a tournament where Ken Rosewall, who possessed a masterful backhand slice, is being honoured with his likeness on the official AO coin.
Polish star Iga Swiatek says she’s still aiming to master the slice backhand.Credit:Getty
Craig Tyzzer, who coached Barty to the world’s top ranking, is hopeful that part of the Australian’s legacy will be that WTA players of the future more frequently use what was traditionally the most common shot on the tour.
He said the players of today have been influenced by the generation led by Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova, whose powerful, precise groundstrokes clubbed towards one line or the other took them to the pinnacle of the sport.
Barty, with her crafty use of angles and her ability to change the pace, spin and flight of shots mid-rally, struck a different tone. Jabeur, a finalist at Wimbledon and the US Open last year, plays with similar variety.
Tyzzer, who has formed a coaching partnership with Barty and Jason Stoltenberg, credits her junior coach in Ipswich, Jim Joyce, for encouraging her to have fun and experiment with different shots including the slice.
“I certainly hope it does create a legacy,” he said.
“Jim basically did not put any limits on how she developed and how she played and she developed a slice backhand, a different game style, volleys.
“He did not restrict her in any way, whereas a lot of the girls play from the baseline, hit similar balls and don’t do much different. I am hoping there is a change.
Three-time Australian Open champion Martina Hingis, in 2000.Credit:Getty
“I am hoping we see more of the [Martina] Hingis, [Justine] Henin type of player who can come through … and show you don’t have to play one specific style, that there is an opportunity to show variety and develop your game properly and fully.”
Paul Rowbottom, who was once part of a Victorian junior team led by Tyzzer, now coaches on Phillip Island and surrounding areas.
He has placed a real emphasis on introducing young girls to the shot, but said there are some challenges to the skill.
That is not a surprise, for even Swiatek, who was the dominant player last year after Barty’s retirement, struggles to strike it with any venom.
The Westernport Penguins tennis coach, who attended a Tennis Hot Shots day at Melbourne Park on Thursday with his 10-year-old daughter Edith, said the arm strength needed to hit the slice made teaching it a gradual exercise.
Rowbottom starts by teaching girls the backhand volley. The 42-year-old will then get them to take a few steps back and throw a low-compression tennis ball to them. As they get stronger, they move further back in the court.
“I am prioritising it, putting a real emphasis on it a lot more in my coaching,” Rowbottom said.
“It is still such an effective shot in men’s tennis and I love the fact that Ash really brought it back in the women’s game and illustrated how effective a shot it could be.
“It can be a tricky one to teach, because strength is a part of it. The double-hander is easier because of that. But if you can follow that process with the one-handed backhand volley that then becomes a slice from in close, the girls get more used to using it and it becomes more natural for them.”
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