World No.1 Ash Barty has hosed down claims that she has the best sliced backhand in tennis, saying hers is nowhere near Swiss maestro Roger Federer‘s.
The sliced backhand has been a key weapon for Barty in her run to the Australian Open semi-finals, and was on full show as she throttled Jessica Pegula 6-2 6-0 in the pair’s quarterfinal clash.
During the second set of her clash, two-time Australian Open winner Jim Courier stated that Barty arguably had the best sliced backhand in all of tennis, possibly even better than Federer’s.
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However, when asked about Courier’s comments after her win, the Australian was as humble as ever.
“That’s very kind from Jim,” she said.
“I think everyone’s shots are unique. 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.”
Barty admitted that she’s become more used to unleashing the sliced backhand as a weapon as her career has progressed.
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“I love to use my slice, I love to get creative with it, to use it offensively and defensively,” she said.
“Over my career I’ve learnt it is a weapon for me. I try and use it when I have to.
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“Sometimes I try and use it when it’s my choice and I can be really, really aggressive with it.
“But being able to use it with variety and have different options has been a massive part of my game through this last couple of years of my career.”