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"It has the potential for that," said Barty. "It's a work in progress which over the last two or three years has got us to this point. We were close to dropping down to zones, which for Australian standards is unacceptable. "That was a biggest thing, we wanted to prove that we were one of the best eight nations in the world and that we're a force to be reckoned with. "We are inspired by those players from the past. The last time Australia won Fed Cup, Evonne [Goolagong Cawley] was in the team so emulating her would be special for me [Barty and Goolagong Cawley share indigenous heritage]. "But we are trying to pave our own path and go about it in our own way, while still following the Australian way of playing and competing and going out there and having a crack." In-keeping with their modern-day volatility, it has hardly been a gentle stroll to the final for Australia, with their Fed Cup campaign opening in February with a potentially treacherous encounter with 18-time champions and last year's finalists USA in Asheville. Barty was in blistering form, however, and defeated Sofia Kenin and then Madison Keys in the singles before holding her nerve alongside Priscilla Hon to dispatch Danielle Collins and Nicole Melichar in the decisive doubles match. Focus then switched to Brisbane in April, where Australia hosted Belarus with a place in the final at stake. Fresh from her title-winning heroics in Miami, Barty repeated the feat by overcoming Victoria Azarenka and Aryna Sabalenka in the singles and then saw off the same pair alongside Samantha Stosur in the doubles. "It was unbelievable," said Barty, who won the 2018 US Open doubles alongside American Coco Vandeweghe. "When we saw the draw come out and we were playing the USA over there, that is one of the most difficult ties in Fed Cup. "However, right from the get go, Alicia was chatting to us and creating this belief that we could win, that it was going to be our week and that she had a special feeling. "The way we went about it, and then to continue that momentum, even though it was a few months later, was incredible. "The way we've been able to deal with those tricky ties, knowing that we can trust our doubles so much and have the belief in all four of our players, has been critical. "We know we have the ability to win three matches and having that confidence in each other is so important. I believe we have the strength in our team to always go the distance if we have to." Barty has played 10 Fed Cup ties for Australia since making her debut in a 4-0 drubbing by the Czech Republic in Ostrava in 2013, during which she lost out in the doubles against Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka. She possesses a highly impressive 17-2 overall win-loss record and, despite experiencing the highs of Grand Slam triumph, Barty is adamant that nothing quite compares to representing her country. "Fed Cup is in my calendar before any other tournament," added Barty. "I've said to Alicia repeatedly that, for me, Fed Cup is a priority and I love playing. It is an honour to represent Australia and wear the green and gold. "Building on that, I have never competed at an Olympic Games before, but I certainly have my eye set on Tokyo 2020 and would love to be a part of Team Australia. I love playing for my country." ■ "We wanted to prove that we were one of the best eight nations in the world and that we're a force to be reckoned with.' A S H L E I G H B A R T Y ABOVE: Barty has won all six Fed Cup matches she has contested so far in 2019 Alicia Molik has played a big part in building Australian team spirit 18 ITFWorld // AUTUMN 2019 F E D C U P B Y B N P PA R I B A S F I N A L

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