Australian tennis royalty was on show at Melbourne Park on Wednesday as two of the country’s greatest players, Evonne Goolagong Cawley and Ash Barty, came together to celebrate a cause that’s close to their hearts.
Not only do reigning Australian Open champion Barty and her mentor Goolagong Cawley, a seven-time major winner in singles, evoke memories of triumph for Australian tennis, but they are a vivid reminder of the country’s glorious sporting history with Indigenous athletes.
Evonne Goolagong Cawley and Ash Barty at Melbourne Park on Wednesday.Credit:Penny Stephens
But for both the recently retired Barty and Goolagong Cawley, a champion of generations past, seeing the smiles on the faces of young Indigenous kids as they are exposed to sport, or simply holding a tennis racquet for the first time, is what brings the utmost joy.
The pair helped kick off the Australian Open’s dedicated day for the country’s First Nations people, held for the second time and bringing the two together in Melbourne one year after the iconic moment when Goolagong Cawley presented the trophy to Barty for her drought-breaking victory.
The shared love and respect between the two was clear for, it must be remembered, Goolagong Cawley and Barty both wanted success in Australia but were driven by childhood dreams of glory in the faraway place of London.
“My dream, our dream was to play on centre court at Wimbledon and to win that trophy,” said Barty.
“I know a few of these kids are exploring what their dreams are [in life].
“It doesn’t matter what career it is but giving them the opportunity to have that interest [in sport] and to grow as people is just as important.”
Wiradjuri woman Goolagong Cawley described the Open’s Indigenous day, co-ordinated by Tennis Australia, as “fantastic”. Her work and connection with Indigenous communities is ongoing through the Evonne Goolagong Foundation.
“I’ve been working with Indigenous kids now for about 20 years all around Australia,” she said.
“We use tennis as a vehicle to create better education and health. We pick out the kids that really want to help themselves, we give them a tennis scholarship, coaching classes at the local tennis club.
“If they stay in school and attend their lessons, then they’re introduced to state camps and from there the same thing – to a national [tennis] camp.
“We have a nearly 100 per cent success rate of the kids staying in school because they want to keep playing tennis. That’s how we’ve got a lot of Indigenous kids playing this wonderful game.”
Ngarigo woman Barty admitted it felt “a bit strange” to be back in Melbourne with a relaxed frame of mind, compared to this time last year when she had the women’s singles trophy in her sights.
“But it is nice,” said Barty, a major winner on three different surfaces.
“It brings people together,” she said about First Nations Day, where Indigenous art, culture and sport are given extra prominence.
“It brought me here to the Australian Open where I love to be. I love to spend time with the kids and to celebrate on a day like today is really exciting,” she said.
Evonne Goolagong Cawley at Melbourne Park with the Australian Open’s fist ever First Nations ballkids squad.Credit:Penny Stephens
But for a player whose exit from professional tennis last March also meant vacating the world No.1 throne, Barty was enthused about the chances for the next big things in women’s tennis to claim a major.
There is only one previous women’s winner of the Australian Open, Victoria Azarenka, still alive in the draw.
“To be honest I haven’t heard about a vacuum,” said Barty, 26, when asked the women’s game.
“In general in the women’s draw there’s so much depth across the board. And now you have to have quality over the whole calendar to be a top player and I think Iga [world No.1 Iga Swiatek] has obviously shown that she was that level above most of last year.
“There are certainly some very good players that haven’t had that slam success in terms of winning it just yet, but there are plenty coming through, knocking on the door.
“It’s going to be an exciting draw and it will come down to who can handle the occasion best, trust themselves and play their best tennis.”
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