Classy Barty joins No 1 club, leading way for the ‘little tackers’

Ash Barty has been welcomed into one of the world’s most exclusive clubs by legends lauding her warmth and good grace.

Shaylee Haynes, 11, with fellow ‘little tackers’ at the Edmonton Tennis Club in Cairns yesterday. Picture: Brian Cassey

Ash Barty has been welcomed into one of the world’s most exclusive clubs by legends lauding her warmth and good grace as much as her talent on a tennis court.

The 23-year-old became the first Australian woman since Evonne Goolagong Cawley in 1976 to hold the top ranking — and only the third from outside Europe or the US — with another brilliant triumph, this time in Birmingham.

“It is a dream come true to be the world No 1,” she said. “My team and I have put in so much work and I’m very proud of what we have achieved. It’s an honour to be in this position, which has been held by the legends of our sport, who I respect and admire greatly.”

The woman she beat in the Birmingham­ final, Germany’s Julia Goerges, shed tears of joy for the Australian who usurped Japan’s Naomi Osaka to take the top ranking. Their relationship stems back to when Barty was an emerging prodigy enjoying great success on the doubles circuit with fellow Aussie Casey Dellacqua.

Ash Barty can’t contain her joy after her Birmingham victory on Sunday, which took her to No 1 in the world. Picture: Getty Images

To quote the Queenslander, the German was always there for “a little tacker” bothering her for a hit. But it is Barty who is now inspirin­g little tackers around Australia to follow in her footsteps, as 11-year-old Shaylee Haynes from Cairns said yesterday.

Shaylee loves tennis “to the moon and back”. And the outstanding talent, who has repres­ented north Queensland in Bris­bane events, loves Barty just as much. “I love her slices and I have been working on that every day. I never miss a training session,” she told The Australian. “I like that she never gives up and I really like how she’s always calm. I would love to meet her one day.”

Guy Thomas, who coaches Shaylee among a group of indig­enous talents at the Edmonton Tennis Club in Cairns, leaves no doubt about how inspirational Barty’s deeds are. “Ash Barty is the greatest thing our sport has. The girls absolutely love her,” he said.

The affection for the Brisbane resident extends across the globe, from the dusty three-court complex­ in suburban Cairns to New York, where women’s tennis trailblazer Billie Jean King was among those delighted for Barty.

King praised her “incredible versatility, perseverance and focus” and described her as “an inspirati­on to the next generation of young players in Australia”.

Goolagong Cawley, who held the top ranking for two weeks in 1976, welcomed the latest inductee to the No 1 club, which has only 27 members. “Since she came back into tennis, Ash has worked hard and step by step the results have come,” she said.

“I am so proud that another Aborigina­l player sits on top of the rankings in women’s tennis, particularly a young lady who conveys such happiness in all she does.”

The Queenslander is a woman for all surfaces, with this year’s titles in Miami, Paris and Birmingham coming on hardcourt, clay and grass. The French Open champion has won more matches than any other woman this year, with a record of 36 victories from 41 outings.

She became the first woman to lead her nation to a Fed Cup final — to be held in Perth in November — by contributing every point.

• Barty announced last night she was pulling out of this week’s Eastbourne International because of a bone-stress injury, but she was confident of being fit for Wimbledon, where she is likely to be the No 1 seed. “It will be fine,” she said. “I’ll manage it carefully over the next few days, to make sure I’m ready to go next week.’’