What Ash Barty’s French Open win taught us about Australian tennis
Many of us were thinking it, but it was Fox commentator Tatiana Golovin who had the nerve to say it. When Ashleigh Barty was a set and a break up in her Grand Slam final against Marketa Vondrousova, and with victory looming for the Australian 23-year-old, the retired French mixed doubles champion said a Barty victory would be “amazing for Australian tennis”: “At least they won’t be talking about [Nick] Kyrgios, they’ll be talking about [a] positive in Ashleigh Barty.” As has been the case for too long, Barty has been an exemplary sportswoman whose respected demeanour and success has nonetheless failed to translate into mainstream media headlines. This year, Kyrgios managed to make headlines despite withdrawing from the tournament, after claiming the French Open “sucks”, while Tomic drew raised eyebrows and analysis aplenty after telling media he was “pretty sure” he tried in a listless first-round loss. The narrative goes that Australian tennis has been in desperate need of a hero, but the truth is that Barty has had heroic qualities and a deadly story all along.Paving the way for future Aboriginal Australian sporting stars Take pause to consider what an extraordinary feat Barty’s…