Fresh retirement claim as Barty wins top gong

1 year ago 60

Retired tennis champion Ash Barty has won the prestigious Don Award for a 2nd clip contempt hanging up her racquet backmost successful March.

The honour comes successful the aforesaid week that Google revealed Barty was the astir searched Australian fig successful 2022.

The coveted Don Award, named aft cricket fable Sir Donald Bradman, is for the jock oregon squad which has provided the astir inspiration for Australia implicit the past year, done show and example, with Barty's Australian Open win and past the grace with which she bowed retired of her athletics the catalysts for her to beryllium bestowed with the honour for the 2nd time. She besides won the grant successful 2019, the twelvemonth she won her archetypal expansive slam rubric and archetypal roseate to the No.1 singles ranking.

Barty made past successful January arsenic the archetypal section to triumph the Australian Open singles crown since 1978 women's champion Chris O'Neil, earlier shocking the federation and the tennis satellite erstwhile she retired astatine the property of 25, portion holding the No.1 ranking and successful the premier of her career.

The beloved Queenslander won 3 expansive slam titles - the 2019 French Open, 2021 Wimbledon and 2022 Australian Open rubric - earlier making her bombshell announcement connected March 23.

"This twelvemonth was surely my astir enjoyable Australian Open ... due to the fact that it felt free," Barty said connected the Seven's 'Sport Australia Hall of Fame: Heroes and Legends'.

"I played without consequence, I played similar a small kid.

"In my eyes, determination was nary pressure. It was conscionable astir maine trying to redeem myself, successful a way, and playing however I'd ever wanted to play - spell retired determination and play similar the kid that fell successful emotion with sport."

Barty besides erstwhile again changeable down immoderate conception that she mightiness 1 time travel retired of status for a 2nd clip and instrumentality to nonrecreational tennis.

While Barty's status continues to confound many of her fans and tennis lovers astir the world, contempt her well-reasoned explanations, different Australian tennis legend, Pat Cash, told Wide World of Sports helium was "unsurprised" erstwhile the announcement was made.

Aussie tennis prima Ash Barty announces daze retirement

"I was unsurprised. Well, I conjecture I was a small spot surprised, but erstwhile she didn't crook up aft the Australian Open, she pulled retired the week aft saying she was bushed oregon thing similar that, instantly I said 'I deliberation she's gone, I deliberation she's done. She's going to discontinue oregon instrumentality a agelong break.' She said she was bushed and I was similar 'hang on, she won each lucifer successful consecutive sets'. You don't get bushed aft that, you tin retrieve successful 2 days," Cash said.

"So she was mentally bushed and erstwhile you're mentally bushed it conscionable takes a while. You tin beryllium connected the formation but it takes a portion to recover. The adrenaline and the tense strategy and everything conscionable needs to recover. It conscionable takes a portion to recover.

"And it's truly important to bash that, truthful I was really truly arrogant of her, for doing what she did, and said it. Everyone was like, 'Oh my god, she could person won truthful overmuch more'. Who cares? Who cares? If you're not blessed but you're winning, well, what's the point?"

Cash added that those who were convinced Barty would person continued to triumph majhor titles had she stayed connected the circuit were discounting the bonzer carnal and intelligence committedness it took to enactment astatine the apical of the court.

Asked specifically however galore expansive slams Barty near connected the array erstwhile she retired, Cash responded simply: "None."

The Aussies to measurement up successful Barty's absence

"I deliberation if you're not mentally focused, and definite Ash could person travel retired astatine the French Open and Wimbledon and done good if she truly wanted to, but I instrumentality my chapeau disconnected to her," Cash said.

"I ever say, bully for her. I cognize what it's similar to beryllium grinding it retired connected the circuit. She's quiescent and likes to support to herself and aft a while… She won doubles [US Open successful 2018] with my subordinate Coco Vandeweghe, I was coaching Coco, and we virtually had to drawback Ash and say, 'Ash you are coming retired to person meal with america tonight' and she was similar 'Yes, I volition tonight', she ne'er went retired to dinner. Never went retired to dinner. Because we'd won the US Open she said, 'OK, I'll travel retired tonight'.

"She conscionable liked to beryllium by herself and present she's joined and each that, truthful bully connected her. It's not a large beingness to grind it retired connected the tennis circuit, it's portion of beingness but it's not life.

"So afloat respect to her for doing that, conscionable arsenic Bjorn Borg did (all-time large who retired astatine 26) and Pete Sampras won the US Open and said 'that's it, I'm done' (he was 32), and just enough, that's great.

"And if you're not mentally focused you're not going to bash well. She'd had capable mentally and what a large career."

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