BARTY REBOUNDS TO BE BIG MEDAL CONTENDER
ASHLEIGH Barty headlines the five nominees for the 2017 Newcombe Medal after completing an astonishing renaissance season.
The Queenslander has been named among the finalists along with former winner Nick Kyrgios, Daria Gavriloa, John Peers and Jordan Thompson.
Barty, 21, finished a the season with a career-high ranking of No. 17 after starting the year ranked outside the top 200, having stepped away from tennis in 2014.
Her return to her first sporting love after a brief dalliance with cricket has stunned even former world champion Steffi Graf.
Barty’s rise to Australian No. 1 was built on a maiden WTA singles title in Malaysia in March and beating four top 10 seeds en route to the Wuhan final in September.
“I am proud to be part of the Australian tennis family,” said Barty, whose coach Craig Tyzzer is among the nominations in the high performance coaching excellence category.
“Being nominated for the Newcombe Medal is a huge honour for me and something I didn’t think possible in my first year back.”
In any other year, Gavrilova would probably be the favourite to win the medal.
She ended Sam Stosur’s 452-week reign as Australian No.1 in June and claimed her first WTA singles crown at New Haven in August.
The Victorian also reached two other WTA singles finals this season.
Kyrgios will chase his second Newcombe Medal. Two wins over Novak Djokovic and success over world No.1 Rafael Nadal in Cincinnati were the highlights of the Canberran’s year.