Ashleigh Barty went from being a tennis prodigy who briefly traded her racquet for a cricket bat to becoming a skilled tennis professional with a solid all-court game. Only 23 years-old, the native of Ipswich, Queensland, is now the queen of the red clay and the pride of Australia.
On Saturday, the affable and talented Barty triumphed over Marketa Vondrousova, 19, from the Czech Republic, 6-1, 6-3, to win her first Grand Slam title at the French Open while playing in her first Grand Slam final. She became the first Australian woman to win the French Open since Margaret Court in 1973.
“For the last fortnight, the stars have aligned for me. I have been able to play really good tennis when I’ve needed it,” said the No. 8 seed Barty during her post-match press conference.
“This is just incredible. I never dreamt that I’d be sitting here with this trophy here at the French Open. I mean, obviously, we have dreams and goals as children, but this is incredible.
“I just kept saying to myself, I may never get this opportunity ever again, so try and grab it with both hands.”
At just 5-feet-5-inches (1.66 m), Barty possesses an abundance of natural skills, lower body strength and tremendous hand-eye coordination. Her overall game is technically sound – and she trusts it. With Barty, her game includes a dynamic kick serve, plenty of topspin forehands, lots of slice, and for an element of surprise, a few timely and well-placed drop shots.
“It’s been a natural progression of becoming stronger, not growing any taller, but getting stronger and being able to trust myself and hit my spots on my serve,” explained Barty.
“My serve is a massive part of my game, and I try and think my way around the court. I know where opponents like to return, and if they shift their position, where they return. And I try and expose those spots as best that I can.”
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| Ashleigh Barty reacts to winning her first Grand Slam title. |
Against the left-handed Vondrousova, whom she had already beaten twice, the beguiling Barty took control of the match early by winning points with her forehand, using her sliced backhand to force her opponent into committing errors (22 unforced errors), and hitting winners (27). Her adroit volley skills enabled her to win 15 of 20 points at the net. It seemed the was little Barty could do wrong.
“I felt like for me it was the perfect tennis match, considering the situation, the conditions. It was amazing,” said Barty.
It’s a testament to what Barty’s done in just three years after taking a gap year to step away from the sport after she struggled with the expectations she had set after being a tennis prodigy and winning the Wimbledon junior girls’ title at age 15. She was ranked in the WTA Top 50 in doubles when she left the sport.
“For me, I needed time to step away, to live a normal life, because this tennis life certainly isn’t normal. I think I needed time to grow as a person, to mature,” recalled Barty.
So, Barty took up professional cricket in Australia in 2015. Then, after missing the “one-on-one battle, the ebbs and flows, the emotions you get from winning and losing matches,” she came back to tennis.
“You can only get them when you are playing and when you put yourself out on the line and you become vulnerable and try and do things that no one thinks of,” said Barty.
“I think it was just a natural progression for me coming back to tennis. Certainly, it’s alway been a big part of my life. Tennis will always be a big part of my life.”
Starting from the bottom, ranked 623rd, she had to qualify just to get into main draws. Now, with her first Grand Slam title secured, she is now ranked No. 2 in the world, behind No. 1 Naomi Osaka. This year, she’s won tournaments on both a hard court (Miami) and clay (Roland Garros), and compiled a 33-6 win-loss record in all competitions (27-5 in WTA tour events).
“It’s about creating your own path, creating your own journey, and embracing it,” expressed Barty. “There’s no formula how to, you know, become a professional tennis player. It’s your own, it’s unique, your own journey, your own path, your own experiences.
“I think the best thing to do is learn from your mistakes, learn from every single experience that you have, whether it’s good or bad. That’s the only way to go about it, only way to grow as a person and as a player.”
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| Ashleigh Barty shares a hug with Marketa Vondrousova after their French Open final. |
“What a wonderful result for Australia and how exciting that another Aboriginal has won at the French. I’m almost scared to say it but it’s now 48 years ago since I won my first Slam there too,” Cawley expressed via Tennis Australia.
“Tennis Australia and all lovers of tennis here and around the world will be delighted by the natural skills and flair Ash possesses.”
In sharing her personal narrative during her post-match press conference, Barty admitted that there’s no way she would have won the French Open title if she hadn’t taken a sabbatical from tennis. Now that she’s back, she credits her team – coach Craig Tyzzer and mentor and performance coach Ben Crowe – for helping her thrive.
“I’m not the only person out there. I have an extraordinary group of people around me,” said Barty. “I love working with them every single day. “They’re with me at the hardest times of my life, and there with me in some of the most amazing times. I think, for us, it’s a celebration of the journey we have been on for the last three years.”
Cover photo: courtesy of rolandgarros.com. Screenshot photos: courtesy of NBC Sports images.
An original version of this story appeared in Tennis TourTalk (www.Tennis-TourTalk.com).
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