Ash Barty has cemented her place at the top of Australian tennis, becoming the first player to win the coveted Newcombe Medal on five consecutive occasions.
The Newcombe Medal is considered the highest honour in Australian tennis and the award sees Barty finish 2022 on a high, after taking out The Don Award at the Sport Australia Hall of Fame Awards just days ago.
Barty was recognised with the award for her undefeated Australian summer, where she won the Australian Open in outstanding fashion, becoming the first Australian to win the women’s singles title in 44 years.
Barty said it was “an amazing way” to cap off an incredible journey in tennis, which she called “the journey of a lifetime”.
The recognition for Barty comes after a remarkable 2022, which saw her announce her retirement from professional tennis, while still ranked number 1 in the world.
She retired having held the number 1 ranking for two years and with three grand slams under her belt, including Wimbledon, the French Open and the Australian Open. This year, Barty has also been recognised as NAIDOC Person of the Year and published her memoir, My Dream Time: A Memoir Of Tennis & Teamwork.
In a special moment at the award ceremony, Barty presented her friend and mentor Evonne Goolagong Cawley with the 2022 Spirt of Tennis award.
A trailblazer in Australian tennis, Goolagong Cawley was recognised for her life-long contribution to the sport and work with the Evonne Goolagong Foundation which supports young Indigenous people.
Barty said it was a honour to be asked to present the award to Goolagong Cawley, who did not know she was going to win the award.
“I knew how excited people would be for Evonne, because not often does she get recognised enough for the amount of work that she does,” Barty said.
“I know that we all appreciate it but sometimes it’s nice just to get that little bit more of an appreciation from the greater public and knowing that she’s had such a positive impact.”