ITF

ITF World Spring 2022 9 ASHLEIGH BARTY "That's just her style, she is so Australian. I call her, 'the perfect Vegemite kid'. There is nothing more she'd enjoy than sitting down, opening a beer and having a barbie." Barty's retirement presents an unexpected opportunity for the rest of the women's field and nobody more so than 2020 Roland Garros champion Iga Swiatek after she was anointed as the new world No.1 earlier this month. Swiatek has significant pedigree, as consecutive WTA 1000 titles at Doha, Indian Wells and Miami suggest. She also has the backing of Barty, who describes the Pole as "an incredible person and a great tennis player". Barty also references Swiatek's "incredible fearless energy", a trait Adelaide-born Woodforde associates with the 20-year-old as well, while he also insists that she is the "perfect player to take over" as the planet's top-ranked female. As for Barty's own future, it is merely conjecture at this stage, with speculation linking the multi-talented Queenslander with a whole host of pursuits including, somewhat with tongue in cheek, becoming a golf professional. "I read a social media post from an Australian journalist who questioned why we're speculating if there is some underlying reason for Ash's retirement and I agree. Perhaps she just wants to enjoy life," said Woodforde. "Of course, by retiring at 25 there is that mystery which leads to people asking whether there is something else which has taken her interest, especially at a time when there is a trend in tennis towards longevity. "But I just think it's life. She wants to enjoy life and be with her family. She is getting married later this year and it is quite natural to think that she and her husband may want to start a family. "Even though she has conquered the tennis world in the last couple of years, she probably hasn't always enjoyed travelling and what comes with being a professional tennis player. "It was well-documented a few years ago that she stepped away from the game and took some time off. She worked on herself and explored other opportunities before coming back and taking tennis by storm. "I think the will is there to balance her life and I sincerely hope she lives the life she wants and gets the joy she deserves." It is only natural and indeed right that an individual's achievements at the top of the game are lauded and celebrated, but those players did not appear on the game's biggest stages by magic. For Barty, she is rooted in the ITF player pathway. Months after topping the podium at the Junior Championships, Wimbledon in 2011, Barty was a member of the Australia team which went the distance and defeated Canada to stand aloft as the best 16-and-under girls' team on the planet. It was her second outing at the Junior Billie Jean King Cup Finals, while she had already represented her nation at the 2010 ITF World Junior Tennis Finals – the premier team competition for those aged 14-and- under – in Prostejov. Further success followed once she graduated to the professional ranks, with four ITF World Tennis Tour titles in 2012. The rest, as they say, is history, although Woodforde has vivid memories of Barty as a junior and in particular her time competing for the Australian Junior Billie Jean King Cup team in 2010, which proved a key period in her development. "I worked for Tennis Australia and was the captain of Australia's Junior Davis Cup team when Nicole Provis, now Nicole Bradtke, was the captain of the Junior Billie Jean King Cup team," added Woodforde. "Ash was part of the team that Nicole captained that year and I recall Nicole saying that Ash had all the potential under the sun but was struggling because she cared so much about playing for Australia. "It really affected her performance. It certainly wasn't that she couldn't play or didn't have the game, it was about trying to handle nerves. That's how enormous it was for her to play for Australia and wear the green and gold. "But it was all part of the journey, to play for Australia under the guidance of one of our great players, to continue learning and building towards winning the juniors at Wimbledon and then transitioning through. "The pathway is there for others to follow, and I have a feeling that Ash's retirement will have a positive impact. There will be many young girls whose dreams have been ignited by watching Ash winning Grand Slams and playing for Australia. "There will be a lot of new Ash Barty's coming through in the next few years." Now there's a thought. Happy retirement, Ash. n " She has power and finesse and it was very easy for people around the world to watch Ash.

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