On top for Down Under
MELBOURNE, Australia — Ash Barty really didn’t know how to react to this drought-breaking triumph.
The usually so reserved and understated champion just let it all out, yelling “yes ... yes.”
A quick walk to the net to congratulate the Australian Open runner-up, 28-year-old American Danielle Collins. Yes, that restored some sense of order. Acknowledge the umpire with a handshake. Yes, that’s another important task for the women’s top-ranked tennis player.
Then back onto Rod Laver Arena to scream out again: “yes ... yes.”
Yes, it had been 44 years since an Australian won a singles title at the Australian Open. So no need to keep a lid on the celebrations. An almost full house at Rod Laver Arena, despite ticket restrictions imposed for the COVID19 pandemic, was rocking.
Barty knew what to do when she saw who was presenting the trophy. Her mentor, the Indigenous and Australian tennis icon Evonne Goolagong Cawley, had flown in secretly from Queensland state to hand it over to the next generation star with Indigenous heritage.
Instinct kicked in for Barty. It was a big, loving hug.
Barty will no longer be weighed down by the 1970s.
She recovered from 5-1 down in the second set to beat Collins 6-3, 7-6 (2) in the final on Saturday night, becoming the first Australian to win the Australian Open women’s singles championship since Chris O’Neil in 1978.
The pressure is off the 25-year-old Aussie, who has made a remarkable career comeback after taking time off — missing every Grand Slam tournament in 2015 and ‘16 — and briefly flirting with a professional cricket career.
“It was a little bit surreal,” Barty said. “I didn’t quite know what to do or what to feel — just being able to let out a little bit of emotion, which is a little bit unusual for me, and being able to celebrate with everyone who was there in the crowd, the energy was incredible.”
Barty now has Grand Slam singles titles on three surfaces, adding the hard courts of Melbourne Park to her titles on grass at Wimbledon last year and on clay at the 2019 French Open.
Serena Williams is the only other active player on the women’s tour with majors on all three surfaces.
“This is just a dream come true for me,” Barty said. “I’m just so proud to be an Aussie.”
Goolagong Cawley was a trailblazer.
She won four of her seven Grand Slam singles titles at the Australian Open from 1974-77, after winning the French Open at the age of 19. She won Wimbledon in 1971 and, after having a baby, in 1980.
She reached 11 other major finals, including four in a row at the U.S. Open.
And she spotted Barty’s talent at a young age.
“Very lucky to be able to give her a hug in some of the biggest moments in my life,” Barty said. “To be able to experience that together on such a big occasion, on such a beautiful court, and in a tournament that means so much to both of us — it was really nice to have her there just as someone to lean on when I wasn’t really sure what to do.”