Ashleigh Barty admitted it was “incredible” to end her career with an Australian Open victory. Barty, 26, defeated Danielle Collins in this year’s Australian Open final to become the first Australian woman to win it all at Melbourne Park in 44 years.
Two months later, Barty – who at the time was 25 and ranked at No 1 in the world – announced her shock retirement from tennis. Now, Barty has been nominated for the John Newcombe Medal. Last year, Barty won a fourth consecutive John Newcombe Medal.
Barty on winning the Australian Open, being nominated for the award
“It’s an honour to be nominated for the Newcombe Medal this year. Winning the Australian Open in January is something I’m very proud of and ended up being an incredible way to finish my tennis career.
Being able to win in front of my family, friends and the Aussie fans is something I will never forget. I’m so grateful for the support I have received throughout my career and hope I can now contribute to the Australian tennis community in other ways,” Barty said.
Recently, Barty was directly asked whether there were any plans to return to tennis in the future. Barty directly answered with a no. Barty admitted she misses competing but underlined that she does not miss the hard work, commitment and dedication that is needed in order to be competing at a high level.
“I’m not training to be an athlete anymore. I’m not training as a job, I’m training for fun. I miss competing and challenging myself against the best in the world, but I don’t miss much that comes with it.
I’m still competitive with myself when I train at home. Still trying to push myself, but no more white line fever. And I never really felt like there was this void that needed to be filled because there was a genuine sense of accomplishment at the end of my career. I think I wasn’t looking for the competitive beast anymore,” Barty explained
