Don trophy caps off Barty’s amazing year

FROM “fan-girl” to acknowledgement as Australia’s finest performer on the international sporting stage, world No.1 Ashleigh Barty is celebrating another epic milestone after winning The Don.

Barty, 23, was last night awarded The Don — the Sport Australia Hall Of Fame trophy named in honour of Sir Donald Bradman — after a year crammed with highlights.

The first Australian in 46 years to win the French Open, the Queenslander was overwhelmed after edging a field including Dylan Alcott, Cooper Cronk, Stephanie Gilmore, Craig Lowndes, Ariarne Titmus, Tim Paine and Ellyse Perry.

“It’s incredibly humbling,” Barty said. “I don’t feel like I deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence as many of the legends here.

“It’s a really good celebration and appreciation of our sport all across the country and for me to be such a small part of that is amazing.”

Admitting to experiencing “fangirl moments where I see athletes in the room that I’ve looked up to for what they’ve achieved in their career”, Barty credited her support team for her success.

“It’s really special to have a few different members of my team here because it’s a celebration for all of us,” she said. “I may be the only one out on the court playing the matches, but there’s a lot of people behind the scenes helping me in my day-to-day life. They invest so much time and energy into my career and make so many sacrifices to help me achieve my dream so I’m very fortunate knowing that I have such an enthusiastic team around me. They encourage me and also criticise me to drive me to be the best I can be.”

Fresh from a trip alongside idol Evonne Goolagong Cawley to Edmonton Tennis Club near Cairns to surprise 25 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players, Barty hopes to add further lustre to a phenomenal year.

She will contest the $20 million WTA Finals in Shenzhen, China, from October 27 before leading Australia’s charge in the Fed Cup final at the RAC Arena in Perth against France from November 9.