(Reuters) – Following are the reactions to Australia’s Ash Barty winning her second Grand Slam title at Wimbledon, defeating Karolina Pliskova 6-3 6-7(4) 6-3 in the final on Saturday.
WIMBLEDON 2021 RUNNER-UP KAROLINA PLISKOVA
“I want to say Ash (Barty) played an incredible tournament, I fought to make it difficult for her but she played very well so congrats to her and her team,” she said after the match.
ROD LAVER, AUSTRALIA’S 11-TIME GRAND SLAM WINNER
“So happy for you @ashbarty, your dream comes true and what a fight,” he said on Twitter https://twitter.com/rodlaver/status/1413878449383510021. “Congratulations on your Wimbledon victory, I hope you and your team celebrate well along with your many fans around the world and back in Australia.”
AMERICAN TENNIS GREAT BILLIE JEAN KING
“Congratulations to @ashbarty, the first Australian woman to win a Wimbledon singles title since Evonne Goolagong Cawley in 1980!” she wrote on Twitter https://twitter.com/BillieJeanKing/status/1413880634246930435.
SIMONA HALEP, TWO-TIMES GRAND SLAM WINNER
“Could not be happier for you @ashbarty – huge congratulations on your @Wimbledon title and enjoy every second,” she wrote on Twitter https://twitter.com/Simona_Halep/status/1413878914032734218.
PETRA KVITOVA, TWICE WIMBLEDON CHAMPION
“Congratulations @ashbarty – a truly special moment and so well deserved. There is really nothing like that feeling,” she wrote on Twitter https://twitter.com/Petra_Kvitova/status/1413877933136089091. “Congrats to Karolina on an incredible tournament too.”
FORMER BRITISH NUMBER ONE ANNABEL CROFT
“When you’ve watched someone go through so much in their tennis life, then needed to get away from it, and then to come back and win Wimbledon – it is the stuff of dreams, almost the stuff of movies,” she said on BBC Radio 5 live.
TRACY AUSTIN, TWO-TIMES U.S. OPEN CHAMPION
“To win on the 50th anniversary of her idol, Evonne Goolagong Cawley, who she admires so much… This is so special to share this moment with her team,” she told the BBC.
FORMER WIMBLEDON CHAMPION AND AUSTRALIAN PAT CASH
“What a special moment. This is the moment that makes it all worthwhile, it really is,” he told BBC Radio 5 live.
(Compiled by Hritika Sharma in Bengaluru)
