Ajla Tomljanovic believes that the emergence of Ash Barty has given women's tennis in Australia an incredible boost.
She also believes it couldn't happen to a nicer person.
World number 52 Tomljanovic is coming off a breakout season in 2019, but it was largely overshadowed by her Australian compatriot.
Barty won her maiden single's Grand Slam title in Roland Garros and then won the WTA Finals in Shenzhen.
MORE: Roger Federer's advice for Ash Barty ahead of Australian Open
Her success brought with it a groundswell of support for women's tennis according to Fed Cup teammate Tomljanovic.
"I actually felt there was a bit of a shift, especially last year," Tomljanovic told Sporting News.
"Ash did some incredible things and I did feel like the interest, maybe I’m biased, but it did feel like it was higher with the females in Australia.
"That’s not me lying."
Barty started 2019 as the number 15 player in the world, but by the end of the year she had spent 22 weeks as the world's number one ranked player.
As a result, the Australian media has put a spotlight on women's tennis as they celebrate the success of the 23-year-old Queenslander.
"I felt like Ash was the one that started that [support]," Tomljanovic said.
"I think naturally people follow other female Aussies who maybe aren’t winning slams, so yeah I definitely think there’s more buzz around it [women's tennis]."
Tomljanovic admits that she hasn't always been close with Barty but became so during the Fed Cup final in Perth last November.
Despite being three years older than Barty, Tomljanovic believes that Barty has easily become a leader of Australian tennis off and on the court.
"I knew Ash, not as well as once I got to know her during Fed Cup, I think that week kind of brings you closer," Tomljanovic said.
"You spend every day together and then you’re not playing against each other and that makes a big difference."
Tomljanovic spoke about the help Barty provided to her own game and how encouraging it was to have the world's number one player cheering her on.
The Fed Cup final was Tomljanovic's debut appearance for Australia but Barty was one of many that made her feel like she had been in the team for years.
"She was honestly really great," Tomljanovic said.
"The support she gave and making you feel really relaxed and that it wasn’t the end of the world and that it’s just tennis at the end of the day.
"But at the same time giving it your best and giving yourself the best chance to win as a team.
"Nobody is perfect but she’s close."
Tomljanovic takes on world number four Simona Halep in the second round of the Adelaide International on Tuesday night.
A wildcard in the tournament, the Aussie defeated Yulia Putintseva in straight sets to book her place in the round of 16 against the two-time Grand Slam champion.
Ajla Tomljanovic wins it in two sets 😍🇦🇺
— Wide World of Sports (@wwos) January 13, 2020
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