Grand slam on work-life balance

Australians look to their sporting heroes for lessons in determination, grace and fair play. Tennis ace Ash Barty delivered on all fronts, and in retirement at 25 she has become a role model in a significant if unexpected way.

Barty has led by example on many fronts. She is a young woman of steely determination who does not buckle when the pressure is on. As an Aboriginal woman, Barty is an inspiration to a new generation of Indigenous Australians looking for confirmation of their extraordinary talents. By taking on and beating the world’s best in the toughest Grand Slams, Barty brings into the present the great achievements of our former Indigenous sporting heroes such as Evonne Goolagong Cawley and Cathy Freeman. Like theirs, Barty’s sporting achievements are extraordinary. She has claimed Grand Slam titles on all three surfaces: grass at Wimbledon, clay at the French Open and hard court at this year’s Australian Open in Melbourne. She was the world’s No.1 women’s tennis player for a total of 120 weeks, including 113 consecutive weeks before her retirement. She is only the fifth woman in history to finish the year as No.1 for three years running.

All this, and Barty is moving on. Announcing her departure from the sport, Barty said she no longer had “the physical drive, the emotional want and everything it takes to challenge yourself at the very top level any more”.

“I am spent,” she said. “I just know physically I have nothing more to give and that, for me, is success. I’ve given absolutely everything I can to this beautiful sport of tennis and I’m really happy with that.”

It is quite possible that this is not the end of sport for Barty. She has swapped codes before, walking away from tennis to play for the Brisbane Heat in the women’s Big Bash League in 2014. There is speculation she may return to cricket or take up golf. But, for now, Barty is a woman without pressure. “Ash Barty the person has so many dreams that she wants to chase after that don’t necessarily involve travelling the world, being away from my family, being away from my home,” Barty said when announcing her retirement. “Now I think it’s important I get to enjoy the next phase of my life as Ash Barty the person and not Ash Barty the athlete.”

This all makes Barty an athlete of her time. Having nailed tennis, she is striving to master work-life balance. She is setting another example: work hard, focus, excel, but don’t be scared to try something new. Value your team but don’t forget about yourself. A role model to be proud of.