As Ash Barty surveyed Melbourne Park on Monday, a relatively new jewel at the nation’s home of tennis stood out as completely foreign to the reigning Australian Open champion. Shivering slightly in the shade at the scene of her drought-breaking triumph in January, the former world No 1 marvelled at how spectacular the site looked when completely empty.
The “people’s court” in particular caught the eye of Barty who, for the record, misses some aspects of the tennis tour but not enough to ever consider a professional comeback.
The new stadium court is where Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis, her junior peers, whipped up a frenzy of their own on the way to the Australian Open doubles title in January. The fact Barty had never seen the court, despite Melbourne Park effectively being her queendom, provides another example as to why her days on the circuit are behind her.
As the hope of a nation and the world’s best tennis player, the Wimbledon winner shuttled between Rod Laver Arena and practice courts via a labyrinth of tunnels in January. Life inside Barty’s bubble proved critical to her drought-breaking success, but it also meant that much of the outside world was shut off, a fact of life she never enjoyed on the circuit.
“I can’t remember the last time I walked above the underground here. I am absolutely amazed at how it has changed,” she said. “How all the area around Show Court Three has changed. I’ve never seen Grand Slam Oval before. I’ve never seen it in full swing before. I’ve never been up to the level that the public access and the public see the tournament from. It’s different. Very different.”
Had Barty’s sole focus been on success between the baselines, she would most probably be in Fort Worth, Texas, this week competing for the WTA Finals title she claimed in 2019. A dash across the Atlantic Ocean to Glasgow would have beckoned to represent Australia in the Billie Jean King Cup alongside mates including Ajla Tomljanovic and Storm Sanders.
But the feeling of fulfilment that prompted her stunning retirement in March has not changed. “I miss competing and challenging myself against the best in the world [but] I don’t miss a lot that comes with it,” she said.
“Now I’m probably getting used to challenging myself in different ways and seeing how else I can be stimulated, seeing how else I can still compete, how else I can still grow. And I think doing that at home now is really fun.”
The Brisbane resident, who is loving the time she gets to spend around home as “Aunty Ash” as an active babysitter for her siblings, does not keep a close eye on results. But she marvelled at the year her successor to the crown, Iga Swiatek, enjoyed and believes the Polish star she considers a friend is capable of even greater things in the future.
“She is a breath of fresh air and she has completely and utterly dominated this season,” Barty said. “She has been a level above, a head above the rest, and it has been amazing to see her flourish.”
Monday marked the second time the 26-year-old has been back at Melbourne Park since becoming the first Australian to win their home major in 44 years. In June she and her former coaches Craig Tyzzer and Jason Stoltenberg met with Tennis Australia chief executive Craig Tiley to discuss a coaching initiative they have high hopes for.
She is in high demand on the corporate speaking circuit and is enjoying picking the brains of executives while teaching them about teamwork and resilience. The Queenslander and her team are also putting the final touches on her foundation, which will have a focus on Indigenous communities among other aspirations.
Some in her camp believe she would be well suited to a role with a national team given the leadership skills she is still strengthening. Tyzzer believes she would be an amazing coach. In the past few weeks, she has been on the court with talented Queenslander Olivia Gadecki, a 20-year-old from the Gold Coast now finding her feet on the professional circuit.
Barty is currently in the midst of a promotional tour for her autobiography titled My Dream Time. This is taking her all across Australia, which included her second visit to Melbourne Park since January. She was headed to GMHBA Stadium, the home of AFL premiers Geelong, on Monday night before returning to Melbourne for a speaking gig at The Athenaeum on Tuesday night.
Barty will be back at Melbourne Park again in January for the Australian Open, but not for a title defence. There are other challenges now. But she is adamant that she is not lost to tennis, just to the professional circuit.
“I’m finalising what we’ll be doing but, yeah, it’s cool,” she said. “It’s crazy to think that it is only a couple of months away, honestly. The year has flown by. But we will be here for bits and bobs.”
