As Ashleigh Barty prepares for the start of Roland Garros on May 24, she insisted Monday that she does not regard herself as the defending champion.
The Australian won her only major singles title in Paris in 2019. The tournament was cancelled last year because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“It’s a long time since I’ve played at the French Open,” she said in a teleconference from Stuttgart on Monday ahead of her first match on European clay in almost two years.
“It’s a fresh start, a fresh start for everyone at that event.”
She made clear that her approach was also practical.