By Scott Spits
One of Australia’s most famous and successful Indigenous athletes, former tennis champion Evonne Goolagong Cawley, has given a rare insight into how she blocked out the racism she encountered in the formative stages of her career.
Two-time Wimbledon champion and former world No.1 Goolagong Cawley, an inspiration and close friend to the latest Australian to reach the pinnacle of world tennis, Ash Barty, said she kept a single-minded focus to chasing her childhood dream of winning the famous London major whenever she experienced racist comments.
Ash Barty with her hero Evonne Goolagong Cawley at the Newcomb Medal dinner.Credit: Getty Images
Goolagong Cawley completed a rags-to-riches journey to the top of world tennis, rising to win Wimbledon and Roland Garros in 1971. She won eight grand slam titles in her career, triumphing at Wimbledon a second time as a mother in 1980.
“I went through some tough times. I went through a bit of racism,” said Goolagong Cawley in her acceptance speech after winning Tennis Australia’s Spirit Of Tennis award at the sport’s Newcombe Medal awards night this week.
In an engaging speech in which Goolagong Cawley expressed her gratitude for everything tennis had given to her, she recalled a devastating moment of casual of racism when she was playing at Sydney’s White City precinct early in her career.
“I was playing doubles one day with my coach’s daughter Patricia,” Goolagong Cawley said.
“I think because we beat these older two ladies, they came up to shake my hand, and one of them said ’this is the first time I’ve had the opportunity of playing against a ------ [racial slur].”
“Obviously, I was very upset. I ended up going to the Aboriginal Affairs building where my friends were. They consoled me for the rest of the day.
“But that didn’t stop me because, you know, it was that dream - achieving that dream - of playing on that magical centre court [at Wimbledon] that got me over a lot of that stuff.”
Barty and best friend Casey Dellacqua.Credit: Getty Images
Goolagong-Cawley’s anecdote was met with groans from the audience at Melbourne’s Crown Casino for the Newcombe Medal, held annually to recognise community and professional achievements in Australian tennis.
The Australian star, 71, received a standing ovation when she was announced as one of this year’s award winners for her work with the Evonne Goolagong Foundation. A loved figure who often avoids the limelight, Goolagong Cawley presented Barty with the winner’s trophy in January when the 25-year-old broke a 44-year wait for the nation by winning the Australian Open singles’ crown.
“Tennis has been fantastic for me. The rest of my family played tennis too, and enjoyed tennis, but I had that [childhood] dream,” she said.
“Eventually when I did start travelling overseas I enjoyed every part of it. Every time I got on the court I always thought I was lucky to be there in the first place, lucky to be ‘found’ in a small country town, Barellan, and actually lucky not to be taken away [as part of the stolen generation].
“Because I remember when I went to visit my relations in Griffith we used to run and hide under the bed whenever the shiny car came down the road because Mum was worried we may be taken away.
“So every time I set foot on those courts I just felt the luckiest person in the world. I was doing exactly the thing I wanted to do - play tennis. Even when I lost it really didn’t bother me for that reason because I was just lucky to be there.”
Goolagong Cawley recounted the story of how the seeds of her Wimbledon dream were sown when, as a child, she read in a magazine about a young girl who found her way to London and its “magical” centre court.
Evonne Goolagong at Wimbledon in 1971.Credit: AP
“The toughest part of my whole career was actually leaving home for the first time, and leaving my family,” she said.
“But I read that Princess magazine story about a young girl who was found and taken to this place called Wimbledon, and she played on this magical centre court - and she won.
“I didn’t know this place [Wimbledon] existed and somebody came up to me and said ‘no, that place is for real. It’s in England’.
“I thought ‘wow, I’d love to go there one day’.
“Once I heard that story it inspired me. Every time I hit the ball against the wall I used to pretend I was there - on that magical centre court. Every time I’d go to sleep at night I’d dream about playing on that magical centre court.
“And it was the townspeople that helped me achieve that dream. They raised funds for me to go to Sydney, gave me a racquet, paid for my suitcase, my clothes. We couldn’t afford anything.
“My dad was a gun shearer in Barellan, mum stayed a home [and] looked after eight of us. But the one thing [lesson] she instilled in me about tennis ... [was] whenever I’d go and play tennis tournaments Mum used to wave and say ‘bye, have a lovely day’. And then when I came back (home), she’d say ‘did you have a lovely day?’
“I said ‘yeah, Mum’. I did win a few times but I never ever told her, because she was more concerned with me having a lovely day.“
Goolagong Cawley was delighted to win her award with Barty, now retired, also on stage and the Newcombe Medal winner for a fifth time.
“I just want to say how proud I am to be here,” she said. “And getting this award is a real surprise I must admit. Getting it from someone who I just absolutely adore as a person or player [makes it more special].
“Who knows what will be next [for Ash]? She is just [such] an adventurer.”
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