ITF

8 Spring 2022 ITF World ASHLEIGH BARTY It is the pure versatility and fluency of her game that Woodforde believes set Barty apart and why she was able to win the biggest prizes, irrespective of her opponent, on different surfaces. After all, she sealed Grand Slam titles on clay, grass and hard courts. That innate ability also contributed to her spending a total of 121 weeks as world No. 1, including 114 in succession which is the fourth-longest streak in history and bettered only by Steffi Graf, Serena Williams and Martina Navratilova. It also enabled her to rack up nearly $24m in prize money and leave her CV just a US Open singles success shy of a career Grand Slam. "Just because you are the No. 1-ranked player doesn't necessarily mean that you're continually picking up Grand Slam victories," said Woodforde. "But her game, it is so attractive and so easy on the eye. "She has power and finesse and it was very easy for people around the world to watch Ash. She used the backhand slice, she could stay on the baseline and move forward depending on who she was playing and the surface she was on. Her bow had a lot of strings. "That is why I have the mindset that she could have won many more Grand Slams. In many ways, by winning her first Grand Slam on clay, she defied how we think as Australians given the bond we have with grass-court tennis. "She was also one of the best doubles players out there. She tasted a lot of early success partnering Casey Dellacqua, which really laid the foundations for her understanding what it takes to play key matches at Grand Slams in singles. "It's a heavy workload but as well as winning many more Grand Slam singles titles, I reckon she would have won many Grand Slam doubles titles. There would have been many players lining up to partner her and that shows the level of her game." As it happened, Barty's retirement coincided with the devastating deaths of Australian cricket legends Rod Marsh and Shane Warne, who both tragically passed away in early March following fatal heart attacks. Understandably, the loss of two iconic figureheads prompted an outpouring of national grief. While Barty stepping away from tennis in no way equates to the passing of Marsh and Warne, Australian sport is nevertheless reeling and remains in a state of shock. "Ash retiring is a big loss to tennis and a big loss to Australian sport," added Woodforde, who has been an athlete member of the ITF Board since 2015. "In terms of how it is affecting the Australian public, we have just lost two world-class cricketers and with Ash announcing her retirement, it's been tough, and it feels significant. "It is well-documented the hardships Australia has endured during the Covid-19 pandemic, and watching Ash travel and compete more, especially with restrictions being eased, was a big thing and something the public were enjoying. "That's not there anymore. The timing of it has undoubtedly had a heavy impact and Australian tennis will need time to recover, as will women's tennis generally. But as least Ash is still going to be around the place. "There's also a sprinkling of hope with the Australian public that Ash may potentially make a comeback at some stage. She has done it before when she stepped out of tennis and participated in cricket so maybe the book isn't closed, perhaps just a chapter. "But if that doesn't happen then I think there are going to be some very fortunate people down the track as I can see Ash strolling up to her local tennis club and asking if anyone is looking for a bit of a hit. Above: Barty also won Grand Slam singles tles at Wimbledon and Roland Garros and always represented Australia with dis nc on. In 2019, she spearheaded her na on's charge to the Billie Jean King Cup Final and at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games won mixed doubles bronze alongside John Peers The Queenslander enjoyed a successful junior career and won the Junior Championships, Wimbledon in 2011. She is rooted in the ITF player pathway and twice represented Australia at the Junior Billie Jean King Cup Finals and also competed at the ITF World Junior Tennis Finals Barty has twice been named an ITF World Champion

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