Barty strikes it rich with record pay day
SHENZHEN: She has effectively won Lotto six times in one week, but lowmaintenance star Ashleigh Barty plans to splash out on only her niece and nephew following her historic pay day in China.
The Australian is promising fortune and fame will not change her after squirrelling away the biggest cheque in tennis history with her WTA Finals success in Shenzhen.
Barty pocketed $US4.2 million ($NZ6.85 million) for crowning her triumphant season with a 64, 63 victory over defending champion Elina Svitolina on Sunday night.
No player — not even Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal or Serena Williams — has ever received such riches from a single tournament.
Barty declared she had everything she needed but said she would spoil her young niece and nephew and buy them a swing set for Christmas.
‘‘It’s great that I can buy them things that they love but I live a pretty simple life. I’m not living an extravagant life.
‘‘I’m pretty happy in my little house at home. I’ve got everything that I need. I’m pretty boring. I don’t really spend a lot on myself.’’
Her unprecedented pay day for a professional player — man or woman — took Barty’s 2019 prize money haul to $US16.37 million, more than men’s world No 1 Novak Djokovic.
‘‘It’s incredible. We’re breaking records this week in particular, putting tennis on the map, putting WTA tennis on the map,’’ Barty said.
‘‘I feel like we’ve earned that right to be recognised more as a global sport.’’
A Novak Djokovic has beaten a nervous Denis Shapovalov 63, 64 to win his fifth Paris Masters final and 34th overall masters title to move one behind alltime leader Rafael Nadal. Shapovalov had a walkover into his first masters final yesterday because the secondranked Nadal pulled out of their semifinal with an abdominal strain.
Djokovic never appeared troubled on his way to a fifth ATP title this year 0 and his 77th overall.
‘‘It was my best serving performance of the tournament,’’ Djokovic said.
‘‘Denis maybe lost his focus a bit.’’
Djokovic has won every final he has played at Bercy Arena except for last year’s against Karen Khachanov, which came after a gruelling threehour semifinal against 20time grand slam champion Roger Federer. — AAP/AP