World No.1 Ashleigh Barty is on a roll at the ongoing Australian Open as she reached the semi-finals with ease by defeating American tennis player Jessica Pegula in straight sets. Barty is making tennis look easy with her game and catching opponents off guard to register comfortable victories so far at the ‘Happy Slam’.

After her quarter-final victory against Jessica Pegula, legendary American tennis player and commentator Jim Courier labelled Barty’s slice to be the best in the world and later dubbed it to be on the same level as that of Roger Federer.

Ashleigh Barty turns down Roger Federer comparison by Jim Courier

Responding to Courier’s comments, Barty humbly toned down the praise and hailed Federer’s as one the best slice backhands in the business.

“That’s very kind from Jim… I think obviously Roger has one of the most exceptional slice backhands in the game. Mine’s a long way off that. Absolutely, no stretch of the imagination we are even on the same page at all.” 

There is definitely truth to what Courier said about Barty and her backhand slice. She uses it as an invincible weapon on-court and extracts errors from her opponents. Also, over the past few days, there were comparisons of Barty’s overall game to that of Roger Federer.

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Fans believe that the Australian star makes tennis look easy, just like Federer does whenever he steps on-court. Also, Barty’s interviews have a tinge of warmth associated with them. The grace with which the World No.1 carries herself both on and off the court has been similar to what Roger Federer accomplished over the years.

Coming back to tennis and the Australian Open, Barty’s next opponent is Madison Keys. The duo met thrice on tour so far, with Barty leading the head-to-head with two wins. Their last meeting came in the semi-finals of the 2019 French Open. The Aussie won the matchup in straight sets, 6-3,7-5.

It’s the third American Ash Barty will be meeting at this year’s Australian Open after Amanda Anisimova and Jessica Pegula. The semi-final match with Madison Keys will take place on Thursday in Rod Laver Arena.

Also read: “My Energy Is Unmatched”: Nick Kyrgios Praises Himself After Another Blockbuster Win at Australian Open 2022 Doubles