9 minute read
Setting the Standard
Barty’s slice backhand, pictured above, is one of her most dangerous and unique strokes.
ASHLEIGH BARTY More than a Comeback
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By Joey Hanf
You’ve probably heard her name by now, but Ashleigh Barty’s rise to the top of the WTA rankings was nothing short of unexpected. She was an incredibly promising junior and soon a breakout teenage star, but that ascent came to a staggering halt. As we look back at Barty’s hiatus and ensuing success, remember that even when the stars align, sometimes we take a different path.
At just 15 years old, it looked like Barty was going to be the next great Australian star. She became just the second Aussie to win the Wimbledon Junior Girls Championship in 2011, and the first since 1998 to win any junior major. Australia, a country with rich history of tennis success, was craving for a female star after a decades long drought. Margaret Court, still the all-time leader with 24 major titles, last won in 1963, and has not done much in recent years to help her popularity with the general public.
So when Barty, still just 15 years old, earned Tennis Australia’s wild card into the main draw of the Australian Open, excitement was met equally with expectation. And unlike many her age, she delivered promising results on the professional stage. By 2013, still just 17, she had worked her way into the top 150 in the singles rankings, and the top 20 of the doubles rankings. Such results earned her comparisons to Martina Hingis, another former young star who excelled in singles and doubles.
Those comparisons did not come solely because of her results, but also through her style of play. Barty’s game featured significantly more variety than many of her counterparts, and was not singularly focused on power or spin. With that potential, however, comes pressure.
Most of Barty’s early success ended up coming in doubles, where she and partner Casey Dellacqua finished runner up at the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and U.S. Open. These results, which never really received the accolades they should have, influenced Barty’s tournament schedule in a way that ended up hurting her singles ranking. She could not qualify for the main draw of most main draw WTA tour events, but as a top doubles player, that took priority.
By September of 2014, Barty shocked the world, announcing that she was stepping away from professional tennis. Barty admitted that her passion for tennis had waned, adding that “I wanted to make sure I was all in or there’s no point doing it.”
“It is tough when you’re by yourself, and I think that’s why team sport is so appealing,” said Barty, who soon picked up professional Cricket in Australia. “There’s never a lonesome moment on the field if you’re struggling. There’s 10 other girls that can help you out and get you through the tough times.”
Barty played cricket for the better part of one year, and given she had never played before, was very successful. Her athleticism and hand eye coordination was clear in whatever sport she chose to play.
In February 2016, Barty announced she would return to professional tennis, initially just in doubles. By May, she was competing in both singles and doubles, where she immediately made an impact. In just her second event back in singles, she reached the quarterfinals of the Nottingham Open, losing top seed Karolina Pliskova in a tight match. The natural narrative would be an imminent rise up the rankings, but that’s not what the future held. Barty suffered a bone stress injury in her arm, and was left out of all but one tournament for the remainder of the season.
Barty, pictured here with partner Coco Vandewhege, has been dominant in both singles and doubles.
But in 2017, the pieces started falling into place. By year end, Barty would be inside the top 20 of both the singles and doubles rankings. She succeeded far more in singles than she ever had before, including a handful of top 10 wins and capturing her first WTA title. In doubles, she once again finished runner up at a major, this time the French Open. She and partner Dellacqua won the WTA Finals in October, capping off a fantastic year.
In 2018, Barty captured her first major title in doubles at the U.S. Open, and continued to rise in the WTA singles rankings, reaching a career high number 15 at year end. Her game was coming together in ways that many had expected; her slice backhand gave every opponent fits, while her improved serve won her many more free points than earlier in her career.
That comeback was a big enough story in itself. But Barty never settled for great; she wanted to be the best. 2019 was a historic year, where she won the French Open singles title on clay, what formerly was her worst surface. She reached world no. 1 and won the WTA Finals, this time in singles, and was named the WTA Player of the Year.
Tennis has seen many returns to greatness over the years, but the fashion in which Ashleigh Barty triumphed through adversity may never be seen again in our sport. She has won many awards for her efforts, and there is no better person to honor with our distinction of merit.
NOVAK Djokovic
UNMATCHED EXCELLENCE
By Joey Hanf
Deep in the fifth set of the 2019 Wimbledon Final, it looked like Roger Federer was on his way to an historic 21st major title. He held two match points in the fifth set on his serve. But the opponent, and the occasion, felt all too familiar.
Novak Djokovic had been there before, and he believed he could do it again. Showing little emotion, Djokovic fought off the match points before defeating Federer in the first ever 5th set 12-12 tiebreaker at Wimbledon. The match will go down as one of the defining moments of the Serbian’s career; he has become the model of consistency, never backing down from the moment or an opponent. And he has done so - relatively - under the radar.
With Federer and Nadal enjoying some of the greatest fan support of all time, Djokovic has gone about his business in a way that is beyond admirable. It wasn’t always easy Wfor Djokovic, as he often makes it appear now. Early in his career, he struggled to earn fan support for a number of reasons. He retired or withdrew from a handful matches, would often have outbursts on court and became somewhat of a “villain” over time. While some players love
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embracing this role, it didn’t come naturally for Novak. His personality has always been one that wanted to connect with children and fans, and having crowds against him took a toll early in his career. Still to this day, Djokovic has tried to earn over the public’s support on a wider scale through new celebrations, fan engagement and much more.
Novak was asked how he deals with crowds that are against him after winning the Wimbledon title, and his response is a great indicator of how he has evolved over time.
“Of course, if you have the majority of the crowd on your side, it helps, it gives you motivation, it gives you strength, it gives you energy,” Djokovic said. “When you don’t, then you have to find it within, I guess.”
Sure, Djokovic still has blips on the radar. A strange 2017 left him looking vulnerable for the first time, but he silenced those doubts immediately with a strong 2018 season. Over the last eights years, Djokovic has won 15 of his 16 major titles, an astonishing clip of almost two per year. During that time, he has been ranked no. 1 in the world for over 270 weeks, good enough for third all time. He has won every big title there is to win; he’s the only player to win all 9 ATP Masters 1000 series events, a true testament to Djokovic’s ability on all surfaces.
When coaches, experts and commentators talk about how modern tennis is played, there is no better example than
Djokovic. His technique, athleticism, mix of aggression and defense makes him arguably the toughest opponent in all of men’s tennis. His baseline technique has always been near perfect, but he has totally rounded out his game by developing one of the best serves in the world and an excellent net game. There are virtually no weaknesses in his game.
If you could create a player that played the highestpercentage shot every time, it would be Djokovic. He rarely if ever makes a mental error, and has talked at length about his mental and emotional preparation for matches, including visualization.
“I obviously try to play the match in my mind before I go on the court,” Djokovic said. “Also there has to be, next to the willpower, strength that comes not just from your physical self, but from your mental and emotional self.”
He’s as spiritual of a player as there is on tour, even once hiring a “guru”, Pepe Imaz, to be a part of his team. You can question Djokovic’s strategy or antics, but it’s impossible to argue with his results. And his ability to achieve so much, when many in the sport have rooted for him to fail, makes his accomplishment all the more impressive. He has a chance to go down as the greatest to ever play the game, and he’s mentally doing just fine even if you think he’s not.
That inner belief and confidence is what has spurred Djokovic to become the most dominant player of the decade, and sooner or later, everyone is going to be paying attention.
