Coach Craig Tyzzer is being hailed as the “unsung hero” of Ash Barty’s incredible rise from disillusioned tennis talent to all-conquering world No.1.

Barty is on the cusp of ending the countryās 44-year wait for another home-bred Australian Open singles champion after marching into Saturday nightās final without dropping a set.
Her vanquished semi-final opponent Madison Keys says the top-seeded Wimbledon champion is proving almost unplayable this summer and Australiaās Billie Jean King Cup captain Alicia Molik believes thatās as much down to Tyzzer as Barty herself.
āSuch a huge amount of credit needs to be given to āTyzā because it can be delicate with a world No.1,ā Molik, an ambassador for sustainable tennis clubs, told AAP at Melbourne Park.
āYou can just say, āRight, letās just keep things the sameā.
āWell, no, they as a team, the two of them, work that well that they keep getting better. Itās unbelievable, itās mind-blowing.
āSheās very wise, sheās such an astute tennis player and person that when sheās on court she knows what sheās working on and why.
āItās not a matter of hitting balls for no reason. Thereās always purpose and reason behind whatās sheās doing both for her and for Tyz as well.
āHeās been amazing because heās found such a complete player, but heās found so many ways for Ash to get better.
āHeās really an unsung hero.ā
Anything but unsung to Barty, the dual grand slam champion lauded Tyzzer as a āmagicianā for his ability to devise game plans and break down her opponents.
āHeās able to look at a lot of different matches, look at some key matches, and recent, some old, and work our plan out, looking at different conditions and things like that,ā the Wimbledon champion said after trouncing Keys 6-1 6-3 in 62 minutes.
āHeās the man that does all the work. I just get to go out there and try and have fun with it.ā
Tyzzer modestly played down his role, saying he hit jackpot when asked to coach Barty in 2016 following her return from an 18-month sabbatical from tennis.
āYeah, look, Iām pretty lucky to work with an athlete like Ash, I must admit,ā the humble mentor said.
āSheās the best athlete Iāve ever worked with, the best tennis player Iāve ever worked with.
āTo have her, as a coach, is a bit of a dream in that you can put things together and sheās able to execute that stuff out on the court. That makes a big difference with your coaching.
āIām privileged every day to work with Ash. Very lucky with what I do.ā
But to the top-ranked player, the rest of Team Barty is āequally importantā to her successes.
Like āCaptainā Tyzzer, manager Nikki Mathias, mindset coach Ben Crowe, trainers Mark Taylor and Matthew Hayes, Molik and trusted physio Melanie Omizzolo ā who nursed an injured Barty through last summer before her triumphant Wimbledon campaign ā have all been with the Queenslander over the past six years.
Then thereās her fiance Garry Kissick, parents Josie and Robert, sisters Sara and Ali, nieces Lucy and Liv and nephew Oscar, while Bartyās junior coaches Jim Joyce and Jason Stoltenberg remain very much part of the 25-year-oldās wider support crew.
āWeāre all equal,ā Barty said.
āWe all play our roles, and the most amazing thing is we all communicate really well together and get along with each other and know when itās time to back off and relax and then when itās time to switch on and really have a crack.
āThe experiences weāve been able to share together have been remarkable, for my whole team.
āStarts with my family, my sisters. Obviously my professional team who contribute so much time and energy into my career and help me try and live out my dreams.
āI genuinely cannot thank them enough for the time and effort they put in to someone else.ā
Ā
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