World No.1 Ash Barty has said she is “incredibly proud” of 18-year-old Australian Olivia Gadecki, after the teenager’s unexpected win over reigning Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin.
On Sunday, the unranked Gadecki defeated World No. 4 Kenin in the second round of the Phillip Island Trophy. The match came after Kenin made an early exit from the Australian Open, when she lost in the second round to Kaia Kanepi.
Barty, who invited Gadecki to do pre-season training with her, watched on as the teenager made her mark against Kenin.
“I’m incredibly proud of Liv. She’s done so much work over the last few months,” Barty said.
“I invited her to do a pre-season with us, knowing that she’s a brilliant girl first and foremost and then a hell of a ball-striker after that.
“We had a really good three months of training together and she worked her backside off. She pushed me a lot not just on the court, but off the court as well.
“I really enjoyed spending time with her. I’ve got a lot of respect for her and I just told her that I’m only ever a phone call away.”
Barty said she could relate to Gadecki, as they had both given up on playing tennis for a period at similar ages. Gadecki had a hiatus from the game a year ago, after she had some difficulty balancing school, training and her mental health.
“She stepped away from the game a little bit at a not too dissimilar age that I did, so talking about that experience from my point of view and sharing my story was nice,” Barty said about Gadecki.
“I have a lot of time for her as a human being, she’s a great girl.
“I’m just so proud of the way that she went out there and played and did it with a smile on her face and now she’s got an opportunity to keep playing at a tour event.”
Gadecki said she feels fortunate to have connected with Barty.
“I’ve been very fortunate enough to have Ash training in Brisbane and she gave me the opportunity to do her preseason and also my preseason with her,” Gadecki said.
“So I wouldn’t have been able to do what I did today without all her help and her time and effort.”
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