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Top Moments of 2019, No. 6: Barty's bleeped Grand Slam win

The Australian's French Open victory was as unlikely as her reaction was unprintable, having made no secret of her previous dislike for clay.

ByKamakshi Tandon

Published Dec 20, 2019

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In a decade to remember, 2019 didn't disappoint as the closing act. Click here to review the Top 10 moments from the final season of the 2010s.

"The f---."

Grand Slam victories are not often accompanied by an expletive, but those were the words Ashleigh Barty mouthed to her team upon winning the French Open.

Barty's victory was as unlikely as her reaction was unprintable. The Australian made no secret of her dislike for clay, having referred to it as simply an impediment to the grass season. She had never reached a Grand Slam semifinal before , scarcely a final. Her goal for the season -- rather ambitiously -- had been to get into the Top 10 of the rankings.

Top Moments of 2019, No. 6: Barty's bleeped Grand Slam win

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She would do a lot more. While small and lacking the power of some of the big hitters, Barty has used her variety and attacking play to turn her into this season's most successful player.

She reached No. 1 following her Grand Slam triumph, and finished by winning the WTA Finals to keep the top spot. All this just a couple of years since she returned to the game, having taken a break and played professional cricket. Her plans for the offseason, though, were just to go back to her family and spend time on the couch.

She has obviously also kept the down-to-earth demeanor reflected in her French Open celebration, and that is no less of a win.

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