Ash Barty: Australia’s Indigenous tennis star stays true to herself in retirement | DW | 24.03.2022

In January 2022, amid yet another coronavirus surge and with the Australian nation’s expectations unquestionably high, Ash Barty had the weight of the world on her shoulders.

Pre-pandemic, the World No.1 had suffered an agonizing semi-final defeat at the 2020 Australian Open. Now, two years later, following an enforced COVID-related hiatus for the Slam, the home crowd were itching for their star player to provide a desperately coveted feel-good story.

And Barty delivered, clinching her maiden home Grand Slam to become the first Australian woman to pick up the trophy since Chris O’Neil in 1978 – and, perhaps even more importantly for Barty, the first Indigenous woman to do so since Evonne Goolagong Cawley in December 1977.

“I’m a proud Ngarigo woman, a very, very proud Indigenous woman,” she had told the home crowd earlier in the tournament. “I love my heritage; I love to celebrate my heritage. It’s what connects me to all of you here today. It’s what connects me to the land. I think it’s a beautiful way to express who I am.”

It’s easy to see how exceedingly gifted a tennis player the 25-year-old is. But her comments were also a revealing and inimitable insight into the heart and soul of the athlete.

Then again, it has been abundantly clear since she burst onto the world stage as a teenager that the three-time Gland Slam champion was built differently.

Which is why her retirement this week at such a young age – and as reigning champion of two Slams and holder of the World No.1 title for over 100 weeks – is perhaps not as big a shock as it first appeared.

Indigenous role model

Barty’s career has been characterized by an assuredness and self-awareness both on the court and off, embracing her position as both an elite athlete and cultural role model, but also being aware enough to recognize when change was required.

According to data compiled by the Australian Bureau of Statistics in 2012, only 23% of Australia’s Indigenous women were physically active or played sport, compared to 67% of non-Indigenous women during the 12-month period prior to the data collection. An Indigenous background can prove a barrier to success, making Barty’s rise as a talented, multi-faceted athlete across a range of sports even more impressive.

The Queenslander’s star began its upward trajectory when she clinched the 2011 Wimbledon junior singles title and, though the proceeding two years saw Barty reach three doubles Grand Slam finals, she struggled to make inroads into an immensely talented singles field that was dominated by Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova.

So Barty broke the mold. Eight years ago, taking a ‘mental health break’ in sport was far less commonplace, so it took those tracking the teenager’s rise by surprise when she opted to take an indefinite break from tennis in September 2014.

The announcement came just weeks after the then 18-year-old’s biggest career achievement to date: reaching the US Open first round, the first time she had entered a slam event without requiring a wildcard.

But, struggling with the limelight and a move away from her hometown in Queensland to Melbourne, Barty made the difficult decision to walk away – opting against seeking a protected ranking – and put her mental health first. Back in familiar settings, Barty focused on regaining her equilibrium, reconnected with her community, and coaching children.

From tennis racket to cricket bat: Ash Barty returned to tennis via cricket

Unorthodox return via cricket

Barty’s eventual return to tennis was also unorthodox.

In 2015, Barty was invited to speak at the national Australian women’s cricket team dinner, reigniting a passion for sports just as a new professional women’s domestic competition was about to be launched.

Despite having minimal training in cricket, Barty earned herself a professional contract for Brisbane Heat in the inaugural Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) after impressing head coach Andy Richards.

“Her skill from the first time she picked up a bat was outstanding from a coach’s perspective,” said Richards. “She never missed a ball in her first session. That’s what attracted me to her as a player: her ability to pick up things really quickly.”

Though Richards was referring simply to her cricketing abilities, it was another clue as to how Barty ticks. Alongside undisputable natural talent, she possesses a clarity of mind; as any cricket fan knows, hitting every ball you face in your first-ever net session is no small feat.

Following in the footsteps of her hero: Barty (right) with Evonne Goolagong Cawley in 2010

The end of one chapter and the start of another

Spending time playing within a team environment reinvigorated Barty and the right-hander returned to tennis a few weeks after the end of WBBL season in early 2016.

Three years later, she clinched her maiden Grand Slam title at the 2019 French Open. Two years after that, she replicated the feat of her mentor and idol Goolagong Cawley by winning Wimbledon – exactly 50 years after Goolagong Cawley had become the first Australian Aboriginal player to win in London.

By the time she cruised to her third Grand Slam title in front of her adoring home Australian crown – without dropping a set – she had completed an astonishing turnaround, and she’d done it her own way.

The pandemic has forced many athletes into lengthy periods of isolation and quarantine. In the extended time spent away from family and friends, many have taken the time to look inwards. But perhaps none more so than Barty, who has always exuded a unique self-awareness.

Never interested in the pomp and circumstance that comes with being the world’s best, Barty said in her retirement announcement that winning in her homeland felt like “the perfect way” to call it a day.

It may have come as a surprise to some but, given what we know about Ash Barty, it’s undoubtedly not the end.