‘I can see it in her eyes’: Barty backs Gadecki as search for the next Ash continues

As Ash Barty was searching for motivation as she prepared to return to tennis after her COVID-19 sabbatical, she did not need to look too far afield.

Olivia Gadecki, a precocious talent who won on debut at the Australian Open on Monday, lived in the same suburb as her Gold Coast-based agent.

Olivia Gadecki and Ashleigh Barty.Credit: The Age

Barty credits the 20-year-old Gadecki with helping to revitalise her career, and whether or not her Open run continues beyond the second round, believes she could be a future star of Australian tennis.

That is a big call given the Barty-sized hole left by the reigning champion’s retirement. With Ajla Tomljanovic and Daria Saville injured again, Australia did not have a direct entrant to the women’s draw.

Gadecki was among five wildcards, and the horizon looked barren for local hopefuls. The search for the next Ash was on.

Barty is among those who were delighted to see the poise Gadecki showed in her 7-5, 6-1 defeat of Polina Kudermetova on Monday.

“Liv brings genuine life into Australian tennis. She is the one who injected oxygen back into my pre-seasons and my career and I know she has had a unique journey herself,” Barty told The Age and Sydney Morning Herald.

“Now I can see it in her eyes that she has got the hunger and the desire and it is about her now putting her head down and finding the ways to enjoy it and keep it alive and keep it fun.”

Gadecki, whose mother hails from Ukraine, now plays a proud flag bearer from that country in Marta Kostyuk on Wednesday.

She is grateful for the assistance and advice she has received from Barty, who is now serving as her mentor.

“It was pretty cool just to get Ash back out there and have her present on the court again,” Gadecki said.

“She is such a wonderful person on and off the court and having her out there is very warming. We have so much fun out there. She makes me feel like I belong out there.”

It’s too early to say whether Gadecki is the next great hope, or whether the surge in interest in tennis inspired by Barty can be sustained.

On the eve of the 2022 Australian Open, this masthead reported on the Barty effect, with coaches around the nation detailing the impact of her success on the nation’s youth.

Lessons were booked out, racquets were flying off the shelves and young girls from Perth to Penrith aspired to follow Barty’s footsteps, just as she had followed Evonne Goolagong Cawley.

Barty subsequently claimed the Australian Open. Then she was suddenly gone. Having reached the peak, she retired on top, a brilliant career complete at the age of 25.

Gadecki has already experienced the roller-coaster ride that is professional tennis.

Ash Barty celebrates winning the Australian Open in 2022.Credit: AP

As a 12-year-old, the world No.200 was invited to Paris to play a junior event held underneath the Eiffel Tower.

Raised by her mum Natalia and the youngest of six siblings – she has five older brothers – Gadecki played junior Australian Opens and other tournaments in Asia while in high school.

The summer of 2021, which included a win in Australian Open qualifying, proved an eye-opening experience that confirmed the potential Barty and others see in her.

After beating Destanee Aiava, another former junior prodigy, in a lead-in event in Melbourne, she upset the 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin.

“That is when I realised that, while I am still quite raw as a player, I have potential. It was a pretty epic experience,” Gadecki said.

“But, also, the highs of that … I learned that I needed to move on to the next match and not be too fixated on the match I had just played.”

She was well positioned for another breakthrough last summer but was unable to play after opting against being vaccinated, a decision she weighed carefully and said was right for her.

Former world No.1 Barty is confident Gadecki will make inroads on the tour in the near future as she pushes towards a spot in the world’s top 100.

“She has got a game that can be damaging,” Barty said.

Olivia Gadecki in action in the first round.Credit: Getty Images

“She has got a mind that, tactically, is more aware than she knows and I love spending time on court with her because she is a breath of fresh air.

“She is an incredibly talented, gorgeous young girl and I really do hope that she does well, because she enjoys it.”

Gadecki’s rise comes as Barty prepares for a new direction in life on and off the court.

The Australian and her husband Garry Kissick are expecting their first child, while between the baselines the 2021 Wimbledon champion will work with former coaches Craig Tyzzer and Jason Stoltenberg, with the support of Tennis Australia, to mentor emerging players such as Gadecki.

“Having the opportunity to work together, and with Ash, to help the next generation of Australian tennis players is fantastic,” Stoltenberg said.

Barty at the press conference announcing her retirement.Credit: Eddie Jim

“[Craig and I] have both been involved at the elite level for over 30 years and have many learnings from that time. Being able to share our experience with players and coaches to make a positive difference to the sport is something we are passionate about.”

When assessing the legacy Barty will have on Australian tennis, Goolagong Cawley paused for a moment in Melbourne last month before breaking into a smile.

The seven-time major champion, who was honoured with Australia’s Spirit of Tennis Award in December, spoke with the certainty of someone who paved the path for women like Barty.

“With Ash being an Indigenous person, she is going to inspire more Indigenous kids to play tennis,” Goolagong Cawley said.

“But most importantly, she is going to inspire more young kids around Australia to play this wonderful game. And, in particular, to play with her style.

Ash Barty with Evonne Goolagong Cawley after winning the 2022 Australian Open.Credit: Eddie Jim

“I enjoyed watching her play so much and I miss not seeing her anymore, because she had all the talent and all the skills.

“But hopefully that will rub off on a lot of young girls coming up in Australia, to play like her. I am sure that will be the case. I still think she can do a lot for the sport.”

Shortly after Barty ended a 44-year drought by locals at the Australian Open last January, Goolagong Cawley was among those to celebrate the triumph at Melbourne Park.

Between Goolagong Cawley’s second Wimbledon title in 1980 and Barty’s breakthrough at Roland Garros in 2019, Sam Stosur was the only Australian woman to win a major title.

But there is hope Barty will have an immediate imprint on Australia’s next top player while also creating a legacy that includes a new generation of grand slam competitors. Barty’s coach Tyzzer is hopeful the success his former employer achieved on the court will continue to be felt around Australia for years to come.

“I still have quite a few friends who are in the industry coaching at club level and they have basically said that Ash has been the best thing for tennis in Australia because their numbers would jump up every time Ash did something,” he said.

“The five- or six-year-olds who have started now, in 10-15 years time, they might become the best juniors in Australia. That is what we hope.”

Paul Rowbottom, a coach on Phillip Island, and Rick Willsmore, who runs Scarborough Tennis in Perth, said the Barty effect was ongoing.

Willsmore praised Tennis Australia for instituting a program designed to grow the number of female coaches across the country on the back of Barty’s career.

“This initiative and all the other positive tennis promotion as a result of Ash Barty has been monumental,” he said.

“Her influence included encouraging more young girls and boys to play and she also positively impacted the wider tennis landscape and tennis as a brand.”

Rowbottom said because Barty has been active since her retirement with book releases and appearances at events including the Newcombe Medal, her appeal has held with kids.

“The bottom line is that she is a legend and legends continue to have an effect long after they have retired,” he said.

“Evonne Goolagong Cawley is a classic example. She is a legend and is still referenced all the time and I think the same thing will happen for Barty.”

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