Former world number one Ash Barty has confessed that her legendary Australian Open victory was not intended to be her final match, but she is grateful that Rafael Nadal was able to fulfill her tennis dreams.
Nadal, who will leave one of the biggest legacies in the sport’s history, ended his illustrious career last month with a Davis Cup quarter-final defeat to the Netherlands.
Barty, who retired after winning the Australian Open in 2022, stated that she had secretly planned to retire while playing for Australia in the Billie Jean King Cup, but the match was cancelled, forcing her to rethink her plans.
“I love Rafa,” Barty told News Corp.
‘What I admired most was Rafa as a human being. I was 15 years old when I played my first Australian Open, and he greeted me in the corridor. I was a really overwhelmed kid. He couldn’t have been nicer.
‘We had some great successes and memories, but I appreciated how Rafa retired. He aspired to represent Spain in a team atmosphere. That was my dream.
‘I had hoped to retire while representing Australia in a Fed Cup tie in Brisbane, but that did not happen. I understand how it feels to be able to celebrate your career with your loved ones.
‘He and his crew were always quite polite to us. They offered us assistance, and during Covid, when Australia was going through a difficult time, his Uncle Tony came out to us and said, “If you need to come, there is space in our academy, and we can set you up no problem at all.” We are always appreciative for them.
‘It’s been a wonderful celebration for him and his career. So many tributes from players and other athletes all over the world. It shown its significant positive impact on sports and life in general.
‘He has a fantastic outlook on life and sport. I’ve always been one of his biggest supporters.
Barty will return to The Australian Open next year, but this time as the emcee of a sweepstakes for Marriott Bonvoy members.
‘I like the concept of returning to the Australian Open and hosting a clinic for Mariott Bonvoy members to see what it’s like on a match court in a large stadium.
‘We’ll go out in the morning; it’ll be like the quiet before the storm.’
Barty, who has married and had children since retiring, has ruled out making a comeback.
‘Not for me, I am extremely pleased,’ she told the reporters earlier this year.
“I had the most fulfilling journey in my career as a tennis player, and now I’m just starting that journey as a mother.”
In 2021, Barty broke Australia’s 41-year Wimbledon drought, becoming the first player since her idol, Evonne Goolagong Cawley, to win the singles title.
Barty previously won the French Open in 2019, becoming the first Australian woman to do it in 46 years, before winning the Australian Open in 2022 and announcing her retirement two months later as the reigning world number one.
