Twenty 2020 Questions: Is Ash Barty ready to be a long-term No. 1?

We're answering the 10 biggest questions on the WTA and ATP tours in 2020. The entire list will be rolled out here.

The 23-year-old seems to have it all: the smooth serve, the putaway forehand, the biting slice backhand and a nose for the net. She also has a French Open title, and the No. 1 ranking. The only thing missing is the intimidation factor. Barty is just 5’5”, which means she can’t win with overwhelming power alone.

Getty Images

She’s also too down-to-earth to believe she should win every match she plays, the way so many champions do. After rising to No. 1 last June, Barty went four months without a title, yet gathered herself at year’s end to beat four Top-10 opponents on her way to winning the WTA Finals. Barty’s game is too good—and so much more complete than most of her opponents’— for her not to believe in it.