IT’S A BARTY PARTY!
Goolagong hands trophy to Ash after long wait for homecoming queen ends
AS an ardent follower of cricket and former player, Ash Barty can appreciate how hard it is to become a great all-rounder.
That is what she has become on the tennis court, a rare champion on all surfaces after she ended the domestic singles drought at the Australian Open.
The 26-year-old Queenslander became the first homegrown winner for 44 years when she saw off, in slightly agonising fashion, the challenge of American Danielle Collins in the final.
‘You are the complete player,’ she was told by the watching Rod Laver after he saw her claim a 6-3, 7-6 win on the court that bears his name.
Just like Emma Raducanu at the US Open, she did it without losing a set. Unlike the young British player, it was an illustration that she stands a class apart from the rest of the field.
Barty has now won Grand Slams on clay, grass and hard courts — a feat that can only be matched among active female players by Serena Williams, although it remains to be seen if the American can still be considered active.
Although it had been an easy ride to the final, this was, in some ways, the hardest slog of all by the end.
Cloyed by nerves and the huge weight of expectation placed upon her, she needed to come back from 1-5 down in the second set of what was not, by any stretch, a great match in technical terms.
Allowances can be made. Winning at home is not easy — ask the French — and she was trying to succeed where other outstanding Australian players such as Lleyton Hewitt, Pat Cash and Samantha Stosur failed.
Barty is national indigenous tennis ambassador for Tennis Australia and there was a rousing ovation when Evonne Goolagong Cawley, her mentor, walked onto the court as the surprise guest for the presentation ceremony.
A tournament that two weeks ago was looking as something of an embarrassment to the country had exactly the finale it wanted in the women’s event, and the new champ was aware of that. ‘As Australians, we’re extremely lucky to have the rich history that we do, particularly here at the Australian Open. But across all Grand Slams, we’ve had champions that have stemmed back years and years,’ she said.
Swilling a beer in one of her postmatch TV interviews, Barty is unusually relatable and down to earth. Already reigning Wimbledon champion, she could scarcely believe she belongs to the exclusive club who have won across the surfaces.
‘I feel very humble to be in such a select group. To be honest, I don’t really feel like I belong with those champions of our sport — I’m still very much learning and trying to refine my craft,’ she said.
This was not a vintage display from someone who is the best pure tennis player in the women’s game, even able to deliver a lethal serve despite being 5’ 5” tall. The crowd willed her on, sometimes unfairly so, and umpire Marijana Veljovic had to appeal to a minority not to put off her opponent.
‘I felt like all fortnight long I’ve done a pretty job of nullifying half chances from my opponents and being able to really serve well when I needed it most. I think tonight I probably didn’t serve my best and against one of the best returners it’s hard to be able to be on the back foot all the time,’ said Barty.
‘The crowd, I mean, I’m playing here in Australia, at home. I think it’s no secret that, playing against an American, I’m going to have more support. I expect the same thing when I’m playing in the US and wherever you’re playing around the world — if you play someone from home that’s usually how the cookie crumbles.’
Collins offered only the most perfunctory handshake at the net after losing the second-set lead and the tiebreak 7-2. It had been a contest riddled with mistakes and both players hit more unforced errors than they did winners.
The American, the No.27 seed, later suggested that she had been hampered by back problems, and was also more subdued than usual.
Ultimately there could be little argument, however, that the best player of the fortnight deservedly won the title.