The year was 2014, and an up-and-coming Australian tennis star surprised everyone by taking a break from the professional circuit at the age of 18.
The timing was also surprising, because Ashleigh Barty had just qualified for the US Open. It meant she had denied herself the chance to play her first major in New York. To fans and followers of the game, it came as a shock, but to insiders, it was a realisation of how gruelling the world of professional tennis is. Barty was a junior Wimbledon champion at 15, but spent. Imagine a sport that burns you at age 15.
Back then in 2014, tennis’s loss was cricket’s gain. Barty focused her energy on playing in the Big Bash League as a cricketer. Her cricketing talent was enough for her to be selected for Brisbane Heat. Barty played nine matches and thoroughly enjoyed her time as a professional cricketer.
It seems that the age-old saying of cricket being the ultimate ‘pastime’ proved right for Barty who, at a young age, was tired of the gruelling travel that a tennis player must undertake on the WTA circuit. Cricket helped Barty keep her competitive juices flowing without the intense demands of the tennis circuit.
The break did Barty a whole lot of good. Her critics complained that she was not a serious player at the circuit and took the sport lightly. She was also, at times, accused of lacking in killer instinct. She would prove her critics wrong, as her return to tennis was incredible.
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A place among the greats
Barty went on to win major singles championships on three different surfaces. She won the French Open on clay in 2019, and Wimbledon on grass in 2021. Her win this year on the hard courts of Melbourne Park in January made her the first Australian player in 44 years to triumph at the nation’s Grand Slam tournament.
The quest to find the next Australian great had started when former men’s world No.1 Lleyton Hewitt retired. The great tennis nation of Australia had been looking for a tennis icon for some years. One has to look into the rich legacy of Australian tennis to appreciate the fact that Ash Barty even finds a place for herself in it. On the women’s side, there are Margaret Court and Evonne Goolagong. Court is one of the few tennis players to have won the grand slam box set. Her 24 career grand slam titles still stand as a record. Goolagong had 68 WTA titles, and was a top 10 ranking player for a full decade.
If we look at the men’s side, then Australia has produced even more formidable players. There are the three greats in Rod Laver, Roy Emerson and Ken Rosewall. Rod Laver is the only tennis player in history to have a stadium and tournament named after him. Then there is Norman Brookes, after whom the men’s singles trophy at the Australian Open is named. For Ash Barty to have found her place amongst such greats, is incredible.
The backhand slice, the clarity of mind
What made Barty special was the quality of her volley at a time when tennis is all about brute force. Her backhand slice was an extraordinary shot which she used for both defence and offence. Like the great Steffi Graf, she used her slice to create openings on the forehand side. She could also vary the speed of the slice, depending upon the position of her opponent on the court.
At times, she would hit the slice with speed in the gap for a winner. Barty also used this shot to break the momentum of a rally and surprise the opponent with a drop slice shot. Barty’s play would be missed by the old timers, as in many ways, it was a throwback to an era when it was not just about power play.
Perhaps what’s extraordinary about Ashleigh Barty is her clarity of mind. She had ‘arrogance of clarity’ when it came to taking decisions about her career and life. Barty clearly represents a new-age champion. This is far removed from what we see in the men’s side of tennis. The men’s game is witnessing three legendary champions surely past their prime, but still chasing statistical glory. Compare this to the new-age champion mindset of Ash Barty, who feels it’s okay to quit while still at the top. Ash Barty is a rare champion who does not see her sport as the only important chapter of her life. She also does not see it as her most glorious chapter. Barty feels that there are many other important and interesting chapters to come in her life.
On her own terms
It is not always that sports players leave behind a legacy. Ash Barty has taught us many things in the way she has retired. Her timing gives her the opportunity to script new chapters in her life. She teaches us how to balance work and life. In all probability, Barty shall have a fairytale wedding at the end of the year. The greatest thing about Ashleigh Barty is that she did not succumb to the quest for more glory that most top–notch elite athletes crave. She declared to the world that she no longer was interested in doing the 38 weeks per year globe-trotting and that she had better things to do. She had the courage to say no to the hotel life. She has made a huge statement in the way she has left the game.
The French Open, Wimbledon and Australian Open champion and No.1 player in the world is not interested in doing these things all over again. She had the courage to say that she does not have the will or the energy to carry on as an elite athlete.
Barty always wished she could claim a small part in what is a very big story of Australian tennis. The fact is that she went much beyond that. In many ways, she was the answer to the tennis lovers of her nation in finding a champion after a gap of several years. The hope was on the men’s side, but it came in the form of a diminutive woman who played sports at the highest level on her own terms.
Kush Singh @singhkb is founder, The Cricket Curry Tour Company. Views are personal.
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