JULY 2021
It was so wonderful to see Ash Barty win the Wimbledon Singles title yesterday. It was a great day for Australia and for tennis too. She is a fantastic champion on and off the court and such a joy to watch. Ash is an Aussie in the true sense of the word. She is incredibly humble, down to earth, so relatable, gracious and really inspiring – a great example to all of us, young and old alike, and especially to all those kids who dare to dream.
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Here are some great lessons we can all learn from the 2021 Wimbledon Women’s Singles Winner, Ash Barty.
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DARE TO DREAM BIG
Ash’s Dad, Rob Barty recalled in an interview how his daughter at the age of nine asked whether Serena Williams would be still be playing when she became world number one. Winning Wimbledon was also something she spoke to her first coach Jim Joyce about on several occasions. She dared to dream big. “One day I would love to be a champion here. It’s a DREAM. It’s a Goal. Dreams don’t always come true but you can fight and do everything you can to give yourself that opportunity. That’s been a lot of my learnings over the last two years, as a person, not just as as a professional tennis player, but as a person, putting my hopes and dreams out into the Universe and chasing them. You can dare to dream, you can try and dream big . There’s nothing wrong with that.”
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DIG DEEP
“I had so many nerves and I had so much pressure and I just had to dig deep.”
And that she certainly did and she got off to a flying start winning the first 14 points.
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LIVE BY YOUR VALUES
I just try to live by my values…I mean it’s more important to be a good person than a good tennis player. So I think that’s always my priority, making sure that I’m a good human being.
I was extremely lucky that I was able to have an opportunity to learn how to play the game of tennis. But I think being a good human is absolutely my priority…every single day”
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FOCUS ON THE PROCESS
Ben Crowe, Ash’s mindset coach said of Ash – I think she’s teaching the rest of the world how to be a great human being first, and a great athlete second,” he said. “Yesterday the many errant net cords against Pliskova were met with a smile instead of scorns. When things don’t go her way, she simply focuses on the process.”
. .ENJOY THE MOMENT “There’s no need to look too far into the future or the past. Enjoy the moment.“ ..
EVERYDAY IS A GOOD DAY
“If I win, it’s a bonus. If I lose, the sun still comes up the next day, and it’s all good.”
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I HOPE I MADE EVONNE PROUD
We all felt the lump in our throats when Ash said this. Evonne has been such a great mentor and the pair share a strong bond and indigenous Australian heritage.
Fittingly, it was the 50th Anniversary since Evonne Goolagong won Wimbledon. Evonne had said to her “I think once you start verbalising it (your dreams) then things happen, dreams do come true,” she said. “And that’s one of the last messages I sent her. I said ‘dreams do come true, it came true for me’.
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THE IMPORTANCE OF TEAM
In all her interviews, it is always “we”. After winning the French Open in 2019, she said I have an extraordinary group of genuine, authentic people around me. This [win] is just a by-product of all the work that we have done. This win is a celebration of the journey myself and my team have been on for the last three years,” she said. “I love working with them every single day. They’re with me at the hardest times of my life, and in some of the most amazing times.”
It was wonderful to see her do a Pat Cash Climb up to the Players Box to embrace her Team after winning yesterday to share that special moment with those that mean so much (Bought back some great memories too!)
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ROLE OF PARENTS
A huge congratulations to Ash’s parents too for raising such a great person and a beautiful soul. ‘We just left it up to the pros, her coaches, to do the work and all we worried about was trying to raise a respectful young lady.’
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BE TRULY YOURSELF
She is truly herself. The only mask she wears is the one we’re all obliged to wear right now.
Back in 2014, with the world at her feet, she left the sport completely. The success she enjoyed before turning 18 proved to be too much for a teenager to handle. I was a victim of my own success, really.” “It was the best decision that I made at the time, and it was an even better one coming back. I needed time to step away and live a normal life, because this tennis life certainly isn’t normal. I needed time to grow as a person and mature.
Playing tennis is what she does, but it’s not who she is, it doesn’t define the depth of her.
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EMBRACE THE JOURNEY AND THE LESSONS ALONG THE WAY
“I’ve learned so much with all my experiences — the good, bad and everything in between.”
“I’ve had ups and downs, and everything in between, and I wouldn’t change one day or one moment, or one route we’ve taken on my path,” she said.
“It’s been unique, it’s been incredible, it’s been tough, and I wouldn’t change one thing about it.
“A lot of the time your greatest growth comes from your darkest times. I think that’s why this tournament has been so important to me.”
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DREAMS DO COME TRUE
They already did yesterday for Ash and I am sure, the best is yet to come!
“Australians have such a rich history in sport. Being able to be a small part of that is something I always dreamed of, to try and create a legacy, a path for young girls and boys, to believe in their dreams.
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Wishing you a quintessential career chasing more dreams Ash.
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Ann
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