Ashleigh Barty attended her first Australian Open final at a young age. She was amazed by how professional the camp was and how focused the players were.
Something happened to her when she was there.
Barty said earlier this week that being able to get a taste of that kind lit the flame. You wonder what you can do.
More than a decade after her first experience at Rod Laver Arena, Barty left herself, and all those watching, little to wonder about as she defeated Danielle Collins in the Australian Open final to become the first Australian player of either gender. Barty made history as the crowd cheered.
The pressure had been on other top Australian players before. The expectations were too much to bear. Barty had struggled with pressure early in her career, even taking a break from playing as a heralded teenager for a year and a half, and later as the No. 1 player in the world during the previous two Australian Open tournaments. She dominated the local headlines, but she lost in the semifinals in 2020 and the quarterfinals in 2021.
This time, it was different. The hype was still there, but now Barty accepted it.
Barty said Thursday that she embraced the attention. It is fun. It is great to be playing in the business end of your Slam. I will not lie about that. It is amazing...
I embrace it, smile, try and do the best that I can, and whatever happens, happens.
The change in mindset seemed to make a difference.
Barty never dropped a set in her competition. The collective hope grew bigger with each victory. Chris O&Neil was the last Australian to win the home Slam in 1978. The court is named after Rod Laver. Russell Crowe was also an Academy Award winner. Everyone wanted to watch as Barty tried to do what seemed impossible.
Backstage with some amazing Aussie tennis legends, Evonne Goolagong Cawley, Chris O'Neil, Judy Dalton and the one and only @ashbarty - who did something special tonight! pic.twitter.com/w3XinXWdHG
— Rod Laver (@rodlaver) January 29, 2022
Barty struggled in the opening games of the second set, showing the first hint of nerves she has displayed all season. Collins pounced. The third set seemed to be certain. Barty was calm and composed and rattled off point by point until she leveled the score. Barty left nothing to chance and won seven of the next nine points to win her third major title.
When it was over, sealed with a forehand winner, Barty could no longer hide the emotions undoubtedly having built up for two weeks, or perhaps all of those years since she first wondered if she could do it while sitting in the stands. As the crowd jumped to its feet and screamed, Barty yelled, " roared, really -- as the crowd jumped to its feet and screamed."
It was a fleeting glimpse of how much the title meant to her, but it was enough to make her cry. Barty was surprised by her hero, mentor and national legend, the four-time champion at the tournament, during the trophy presentation. Barty started her speech by saying she was a little stumped but never gave up. She thanked her team, her family, and the tournament officials. She focused on the crowd.
Barty said that the most important part of the tournament was being able to share it with so many people.
This is a dream come true for me, and I am so proud to be an Australian.
Barty is in rarefied company among Australians. She is one of five active players who have won all three Grand Slams. The expectations and pressure will only get bigger from here, but now Barty seems prepared for all that comes next.
The spark has been started.
It has been an incredible two weeks of tennis Down Under, with all of the history and thrills. If you were busy, sleeping during most of the tournament, here is what you might have missed.
When Naomi Osaka took a break from tennis after her third-round exit at the US Open in the fall, few knew when she would return or what to expect. At a lead-in event in Australia earlier this month, she reached the semifinals before withdrawing with an injury.
At the Australian Open, where she arrived as the defending champion, she showed few signs of rust in her first two matches, beating both of her opponents in straight sets. She looked happier and more relaxed than she had been in a while, and she was frequently spotted smiling in between points. She had a warm exchange with her opponent at the net after Osaka lost in the third round.
Osaka said that he fought for every point. I can not win every match. It would be nice to win the tournament, but that is really special, so I have to take that into account. I cannot win the Grand Slam at the beginning of the year.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by 大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka)
I feel like I grew a lot in this match. The last match that I played at the US Open, I think I had a completely different attitude, so I was happy with how it went.
While Osaka did not bring the cup back home with her this time, she left with something even better: her joy and love for the sport.
There was a lot of attention on the young players at the Australian Open after Emma and Leylah made waves at the US Open. Both players went from unknowns to A-listers. Fans and pundits alike wanted to know how they would fare in their follow-up Grand Slam, as well as how other rising stars, such as Coco Gauff and Carlos Alcaraz, would do.
We got the answer that was not great.
The blisters on her right hand made it hard for her to hit and she lost in the second round to Danka Kovinic. Maddison Inglis defeated Fernandez in the first round. Gauff, who made the fourth round at the tournament in 2020, fell in her opener.
Other young players made their mark. Iga Swiatek is a French Open champion. The two 19-year-olds and the 20-year-old had a statement win over Osaka.
With so much depth in tennis, it is hard to think that teenagers would dominate at every event.
"Onwards and upwards!" is what she wrote in her post after her loss.
For every young talent who makes a deep run at a Grand Slam, there are many others who have been on tour for years, just hoping for that one tournament to make their mark.
That moment never comes for many. That can no longer be said about Alize. The 32-year-old from France had never advanced past the fourth round in any of the major tournaments.
This year, that is. In the main draw of the 63rd major of her career, she beat three players, including two-time major champion Garbine Muguruza and Simona Halep, to reach her first quarterfinals. The previous record of 54 majors played before a quarterfinals was shattered by her achievement.
After holding off Halep in three sets in the round of 16 in brutally hot conditions, she covered her face and dropped to her knees.
She got them with an emotional and earnest interview with former player Jelena Dokic, who had already been won over by her celebration on court.
Cornet said it was never too late to try again.
No dry eyes in the house 😭😭😭
This on-court interview between @alizecornet and Jelena Dokic is everything. #AusOpen · #AO2022 pic.twitter.com/F3nN0XSHNX
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