Evonne Goolagong Cawley, beaming with pride, has described Ash Barty as “a little sister” as she heaped praise on the 25-year-old Wimbledon champion.
Goolagong Cawley was the last Australian woman to win Wimbledon in 1980 before Barty’s triumph this weekend and the two are also proud Indigenous women and close friends.
Ash Barty soaks in her win at Wimbledon.Credit: Getty Images
Barty sliced expertly, defended desperately and shone brightly on her way to the victory over Karolina Pliskova, which was her second grand slam win after the 2019 French Open title.
“I am just so very much proud of Ash, the way she handles herself not just on the court but off the court too. She is a great Australian, everybody loves her,” Goolagong Cawley said in a video released by Tennis Australia.
“Every time I go out shopping everybody asks me about Ash; ‘How’s Ash going? What’s she doing? Isn’t she wonderful’. And I say ‘yes, she is’.
“Ash to me is like a little sister and part of my family. I think we treat each other that way.
“It is amazing her first grand slam was at the French [Open]. That was my first grand slam and that same year I won Wimbledon in 1971 and that was a wonderful thrill.”
The seven-time grand slam winner spoke about how she encouraged Barty – who has usually kept her dreams, hopes and aspirations close to her chest – to speak more openly about what she wanted to achieve.
Goolagong Cawley also spoke about her pride at Barty’s Wimbledon attire being inspired by what she had worn in her playing days.
“I think once you start verbalising it 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’.
“I was just so chuffed when she wore that dress, [the] scallop dress, and actually some of the details are taken from two of my dresses. And one of them had little flowers on it. And I noticed she had little flowers at the back of the dress and scallops down the bottom and the same type of jacket that I used to wear. I thought ‘oh, wasn’t that lovely?’ I didn’t know what to say.
“I did say to her ‘if it brings you luck, great, because it brought me luck’. She’s amazing.”
Goolagong Cawley said both she and Barty felt there were special coincidences about the triumph.
“I’m sure there’s elders past and present who have got a big smile on their face today during NAIDOC Week,” Goolagong Cawley said.
“I think Ash said it too; ‘There must be someone looking down on us at this time’ during NAIDOC Week, celebrating 50 years since I won my first Wimbledon, achieving my dream.”
Cathy Freeman, whose 400m Sydney Olympic gold medal was a similarly seismic moment for Indigenous Australians, shared her pride and congratulations.
“Massive pride in our girl!” Freeman wrote on Twitter. “Congratulations @ashbarty! We are all so very proud of you.”
Australian tennis great Margaret Court lauded the country’s newest Wimbledon champion as an inspriation to young people across the nation.
Evonne Goolagong Cawley was full of praise for Ash Barty.
Court holds the record for most grand slam wins in history, with 24, one ahead of Serena Williams.
She told The Age and the Herald that Barty’s win was one of the great moments for women’s tennis in Australia’s history, and that she was thrilled and relieved that another Australian woman had finally won another Wimbledon title.
“Ash gives the younger ones coming through a boost. They think ‘if she can do it I can do it’,” Court said.
“She is very level-headed, she carries herself very well and is down to earth. I don’t think it will affect her a lot. Ash’s main thing now is when you’re No.1 in the world and Wimbledon champion it is staying there and winning more grand slams. Depends on that person themselves too, how long they want to be in the game? It will depend on her own goals.
“She has been in cricket, plays golf, she is a very athletic person. She is a very good role model for our young people and for our nation. It will bring a lot of young people out again wanting to play tennis.”
There were also tributes from tennis royalty Rod Laver and Billie Jean King.
“So happy for you @ashbarty, your dream comes true and what a fight,” the 11-time grand slam winner Laver wrote on Twitter. “Congratulations on your Wimbledon victory, I hope you and your team celebrate well along with your many fans around the world and back in Australia.
“What a wonderful follow up to Evonne’s win on the 50th anniversary.”
King said: “What a great match. It didn’t start out wonderful at all. I thought ‘oh no we’re going to have one of the shortest matches ever’.
“Wouldn’t you know it, it ended up being one of the best finals we’ve had. The first time in nine years we had a three-setter.
“Congratulations to Barty … a dream came true today.
“A great day for Australia, a great day for all of us in our sport of tennis.”
Barty famously took a break from the sport and played cricket in 2015 and 2016. Former teammates from her time at WBBL side the Brisbane Heat also spoke glowingly of Barty and her acheivement.
“She was a great role model for our younger cricketers with her work ethic and fitness and getting better as a cricketer,” Jodie Fields said. “But also someone of her stature, to be just another teammate. Happy to talk to anyone and help anyone. A great mentor. She inspired people.”
Beth Mooney said: “She exudes confidence but also humility and as an athlete that is something you want to get behind”.
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Every match of the Wimbledon finals is available to stream live and ad-free on Stan Sport with select games on 9GEM.