Ashleigh Barty was honored on Monday with Australia’s highest tennis award – the Newcombe Medal. She expressed her gratitude to double partner Casey Dellacqua.
“She’s my best buddy, but I don’t think she knows for herself what a big influence she had on my life,”said Barty, referring to Dellacqua, with whom she has reached the final of all four Grand Slam tournaments,”Casey is my best friend, my mum on tour, my shoulder where I’ve been crying so many times. She has helped me through my darkest hours.”
In the late year 2014, Barty had taken a one-and-a-half year break from tennis because she had no more fun on the court. In the meantime, she had begun with Cricket. In 2016 she returned to the tour and this season she won her first individual title in Malaysia and reached the final of Wuhan as well as 17th place in the world rankings.
In honour of Melbourne, she appeared with friend Garry Kissick and her parents Josie and Robert. The Australian tennis legend John Newcombe, former number one in the world and seven-time major champ in the singles (as well as 17 times title holder in doubles), paid homage to Barty himself.
Barty prevailed over Daria Gavrilova, Nick Kyrgios, John Peers and Jordan Thompson, who were also nominated.