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"Friend, mentor, icon, absolute legend": Ashleigh Barty pays tribute to Aussie tennis legend Evonne Goolagong Cawley after Australian Open ceremony
WTASunday, 28 January 2024 at 02:30
Former
world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty wrote a heartfelt note praising Australian tennis
legend Evonne Goolagong, who celebrated the 50th anniversary of her first
Australian Open title, a trophy she won in four consecutive editions (1974,
75', 76', 77').
The
72-year-old former tennis player was honored at Melbourne Park before the
women's semifinal matches. During the tribute, the organizers announced that
the annual celebration of First Nations culture during the first week of the
Australian Open will be named Evonne Goolagong Cawley Day.
Ashleigh
Barty retired two years ago while still holding the world No. 1 ranking, having
become the most recent Australian tennis legend with her three Grand Slam
titles, including the last one at home in the 2022 Aussie Open, just weeks
before confirming her retirement. This time, Barty took the opportunity to
share a heartfelt message to Goolagong on Instagram, along with several photos
of them together.
"A
friend, mentor, icon and absolute legend. What an incredible person you are,
Evonne. A special year celebrating the 50th anniversary of your first AO win,
but an even greater appreciation and acknowledgement of your entire career with
the renaming of a very special day - Evonne Goolagong Cawley Day. I cherish our
relationship every single day. And I will always be your biggest fan,"
Barty wrote on Instagram.
Ash Barty career goals
The
Australian had a surprising retirement in 2022 when she was the most recent
Grand Slam champion and undisputed No. 1, allowing Iga Swiatek to reach the
world No. 1 and start an incredible streak of 75 weeks at the top, although she
did not equal Barty's record.
Barty's
streak of consecutive weeks at No. 1 is among the best in history, surpassed
only by Serena Williams and Steffi Graf, both with 186 consecutive weeks, and
Martina Navratilova, who reached 156 consecutive weeks, while Barty totaled
114.
Barty won a
total of 15 titles, three of them in Grand Slam events (2019 French Open, 2021
Wimbledon, and 2022 Australian Open). She and Evonne Goolagong are the only
Australian female tennis players to be No. 1 in the Open Era.
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