By Kirra Livingstone
ONE of Australia’s most beloved sporting champions, Ash Barty, was on the Sunshine Coast last week, talking about her tennis career and the team who supported her throughout.
Ash was speaking at a Sunshine Coast Libraries function at the Caloundra Events Centre as part of a nationwide tour following the release of her autobiography, My Dream Time.
GC&M News went along to hear as she talked about the challenges of injury, making her name in tennis, and her white socks turning orange from playing on the French Open clay courts.
Ash talked of the importance of strong relationships in her team and with family and friends, saying how critical it was to her success.
“The relationships I’ve built weren’t just professional, the relationships I still have with my team now, are exactly the same as when we were travelling 40 weeks a year together,” she said.
“It always felt like a partnership when we were working, and a friendship when we weren’t.
“We have always completely trusted each other’s decision making, which made tough conversations easier because we knew it was for the right reasons.”
Ash really focused on the experiences she had with her close-knit training team within the book, and said she couldn’t have succeeded without all their hard work.
“It was amazing to see people so selfless, to such a selfish athlete,” she said. “We were working towards common goals as a team, but it was my responsibility to go out there and do the job before us and I believe I was the one to have fun with that.”
Ash shocked the tennis world this year when she retired just weeks after winning the Australian Open; she had planned on announcing her retirement after the open, regardles of her win.
“At that time, I knew full well it was my last Australian open, not that many people knew, and after the second round it was the moment for me that I knew,” she said.
My Dream Time’ is on sale now.
