Fed Cup Final: Barty and Mladenovic both claim advantage in Perth

Brendan Bradford

Fed Cup Final: Barty and Mladenovic both claim advantage in Perth image

Ash Barty and Kristina Mladenovic have both enjoyed success at Perth Arena and are each talking up their prospects at the venue ahead of this weekend's Fed Cup final.

Mladenovic, France's top ranked player, won the now-defunct Hopman Cup alongside Richard Gasquet in 2017.

“From the first time I stepped on the court yesterday, I had such great memories and great vibes,” she said this week.

“It’s definitely an advantage when you know the court and where you’ve won in the past.

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“When you’ve won a tough competition somewhere it’s always a great place for you where you feel confident and you feel like you can repeat the story."

Barty made her first appearance in the Hopman Cup in 2013 and is looking forward to play on court there again. 

"I think from the first time I've played here, the first time playing Hopman Cup I just felt the arena was gorgeous," Barty said. 

"It's a really intimate arena, I feel like all the people are really invested. 

"It's a really good viewing arena from the public's point of view, and everyone gets into it. 

"It's a nice paced court and somewhere I've always felt very comfortable."

Barty has six wins from the six Fed Cup matches in 2019, winning four singles rubbers and two doubles rubbers against the USA and Belarus on the way to the final. 

The world number one is fresh off claiming the WTA Finals in Shenzhen last weekend, but knows a tough challenge awaits in the beaten 2016 Fed Cup finalists. 

"At the end of the day, every single match is a challenge," she said. 

"We're playing a world-class team who have proven time and again that they're a nation that has dominated in the past.

"They made a recent final not too long ago and I'm familiar with a lot of the girls.

"I've played a lot of them time and time against on the tour in singles and doubles, so I think for me, there's nothing unfamiliar."

 

Brendan Bradford