‘Pieces of the puzzle’ - Ashleigh Barty reveals how mindset coach helped her reach Australian Open final

Ashleigh Barty has revealed how working with her mindset coach Ben Crowe has helped her to reach the Australian Open final. The world No. 1 beat Madison Keys 6-1, 6-3 in their semi-final on Rod Laver Arena, powering past her opponent thanks to her thunderous service game and a succession of unstoppable winners.

She will now face another American in Danielle Collins in the tournament decider on Saturday, having become the first Australian woman to reach the final in 42 years. Ad/> Speaking in the Eurosport Cube following her triumph against Keys, Barty opened up on how changing her mentality has helped to improve her game. “My mentor, Ben Crowe, has been a massive part of my life,” she said.

“He helped my team, he helped me to change the perception of how I viewed everything, really. Australian Open'It's unreal' — Barty delighted to be in maiden Australian Open final on home soil4 HOURS AGO “I was able to grow as a person and really start enjoying my tennis a lot more. It’s taken me to that next level and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the work.

“We’ve had to work really hard and I love it. I love trying to piece together all the pieces of the puzzle to try to make me a complete tennis player, and it’s been fantastic to have him as part of that team.” Asked whether she would have to take a different mindset into the final, Barty admitted it would be a unique challenge. “It’s exciting, you get to play for a Grand Slam title and that doesn’t happen every week,” she said.

“But I think the processes and the routines that we go through leading up to the match are really similar. We stay really light, we have fun, we embrace the environment but we don’t get overawed by it. “We just go out there and play and have fun.