After her fourth-round victory over American world No.60 Amanda Anisimova at Rod Laver Arena, Ash Barty delivered a beautiful tribute to the man the venue is named after.
Barty fielded a couple of questions about Australian tennis royalty Rod Laver in her post-match press conference, prompting moving words on the 11-time singles grand slam champion.
“It’s so nice to have Rod here, first and foremost. It’s so nice to have him enjoying his own house, enjoying his own court,” Barty said.
“He was unbeatable. I’m certainly not.
“He’s an exceptional human being. He’s an amazing champion of our sport. He’s iconic.
“It’s just amazing to be in his presence.
“And in the same breath he’s also a down-to-earth Queenslander who just loves his sport.
“As Australians we are extremely lucky that he still is able to enjoy the tennis with us, and, yeah, hopefully has a few more left.”
