Barty hopes to shake off Olympic disappointment

CINCINNATI: Top seed Ashleigh Barty is working to get accustomed to hot, humid summer conditions at the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Masters after shaking off her Tokyo Olympic disappointment.

The world number one skipped last week’s US Open tuneup event in Montreal but is back and eager to get stuck into the final big event prior to the start of the Grand Slam in a fortnight.

“I’m looking forward to now changing back to hard courts and trying to find some rhythm and some groove,” she said on Monday.

“It feels like a long time since I’ve played on hard courts. Miami (March) was my last hard court tournament, and the conditions there are vastly different to here.

“It’s going to take some time to adjust, without a doubt. But we’ll just keep chipping away and try and get the best chance in each and every match.”

Barty fell flat at the Games after training with her team in the Bahamas prior to travelling to Japan.

The reigning Wimbledon champion admitted it will take some work for her to feel at ease on court this week.