Tennis legend Rod Laver is lauding Ashleigh Barty as a grand slam champion in waiting following her breakout Australian summer.
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Far from disappointed by Barty's quickfire exit at the hands of a white-hot Petra Kvitova on Tuesday night, Laver believes the 22-year-old's run to the Australian Open quarter-finals has proven she belongs among the elite.
Kvitova, a dual Wimbledon champion, stands atop the live world rankings following her unbeaten start to 2019.
The free-hitting Czech is the only player to have toppled Barty on tour this season, with the Queenslander's 10 scalps from Perth, Sydney and Melbourne including world No.1 Simona Halep and former queens Maria Sharapova and Garbine Muguruza.
Excited by Barty's crafty all-court game, Laver is convinced Australian tennis' new golden girl will have a decade to chase grand slam spoils.
"She's just a baby," the 11-times major winner told AAP on Wednesday.
"If it's not this year, she has a lot of years ahead of her.
"What she's done this year is have a lot of great wins and that's what you need to do to catapult yourself into that elite category of being able to challenge for grand slams."
A Wimbledon junior champion at only 15, Barty's best opportunity of grand slam glory will likely come on grass at the All England Club, where Laver believes the right-hander's much-envied backhand slice could prove deadly.
"I would say Wimbledon would be her best chance but I think she's got a chance to do it no matter where she is - as long as she's on the court and healthy," Laver said.
"She proved it against Sharapova (in the fourth round).
"The slice backhand she's got, which gave Sharapova so much trouble, because the ball's down low to a double-hander, is the one shot that she has (that can be a point of difference).
"How do you get down there? It's not that shot that wins the point but when she (her opponent) just lobs it back up, that's when Ash has the chance to win the point."
Barty's next major opportunity will come at the French Open, where she lost in the third round last year to Serena Williams.
Her more immediate focus, before heading to America for the hard-court swing, is leading Australia into Fed Cup battle against the USA at next month's World Group quarter-final.
Australian captain Alicia Molik will name her team for the February 9-10 tie in North Carolina next week.
Australian Associated Press
