The Aboriginal Barty Party

It was in 1978 when an Australian won the Australian Open Tennis Championships in the form of Chris O’Neil, and thereafter it was a long and agonising wait for the Australians to see a home bred champion. Eventually after 44 years the wait was over when Ashleigh Barty beat Danielle Collins on 29th January 2022 to win her third grand slam championship.

Ash Barty carrying the weight of a nation’s expectations on her shoulders dominated the first set but then slipped in the second to trail 1-5 with Danielle Collins raising her game a few notches. What then followed was an amazing comeback from Barty. She levelled the set at 6-6 and eventually won the tie-break 7-2 to win the set and Championship. The spectators at the Rod Laver Arena backed Barty to an extent never seen before. The desperation of a Sports loving country and eventual elation could well be seen and experienced as Barty hung on in the second set, digging into her reserves and clinching victory in a dramatic fashion.

Ash Barty is known to be a humble unassuming champion, a hardworking athlete, gifted with skill and a strong temperament. She hails from the Indigenous Australian Ngaragu people, the Aboriginals of Southern New South Wales and  North Eastern Victoria. Barty is proud of her heritage and is The National Indigineous Tennis Ambassador for Tennis Australia. 

She was Australia’s hope right from her Junior days in Tennis and was slowly and streadily making a mark on the International Tour. However, due to physical and mental fatigue on account of constant travelling, Ash Barty took a break from Tennis in 2014 much to the surprise of her fans and shockingly enough started playing Cricket. Ash confessed that though she loved Tennis she wished playing  a Team sport too and therefore had taken up Cricket. 

The love of Tennis pulled her back and in 2016 Ash Barty was back on the court fresh and competing hard with a strong sense of purpose. She quickly started rising up the rankings and the French Open 2019 victory, her first Grand Slam was the turning point in her career. Barty has not looked back since then and is strongly positioned as the World No. 1 since September 2019. With her victories at last year’s Wimbledon and this year’s Australian Open, the World No. 1 would be difficult to dislodge from her perch for quite some time.

Ash Barty is another inspiring story of an athlete who has persevered and persevered, worked endlessly hard, never lost hope, waited for her opportunity and eventually reaped huge success. 

Never lose hope, just keep focusing on what you wish to achieve and remain consistent with your efforts. Success is bound to come. It’s just a matter of time…Just like the Barty way.