"Ash to me is like a little sister and part of my family and we treat each other that way... It's magical when you achieve your dream... I'm sure it's magical for her."
Rafael Nadal returned to Melbourne not as a competitor this time, but as a supporter -- backing fellow Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz ahead of the Australian Open final.
Ashleigh Barty may have the spectators at Melbourne Park under her spell with some awe-inspiring tennis, but seems like cricket is her go to for training and warm-ups.
Elena Rybakina put on a brilliant performance to defeat favourite Aryna Sabalenka 64, 46, 64 and lift her first Australian Open trophy.
The 2011 US Open champion could not wait to join her friend for the 'Barty Party'.
Aryna Sabalenka defeated Coco Gauff in the Miami Open final to complete the 'Sunshine Double', joining an elite group of female tennis players.
Ash Barty ended Australia's 44-year wait for a home winner at the Australian Open when the world number one staved off a fightback from American Danielle Collins to complete a 6-3, 7-6(2) win.
Barty staved off a fightback from Collins to pick up her third Grand Slam title
Homeland favorite Ashleigh Barty and Serbia's Novak Djokovic are the top seeds for the upcoming Australian Open.
Ash Barty ended Australia's 44-year wait for a home winner at the Australian Open when the world number one staved off a fightback from American Danielle Collins to complete a 6-3, 7-6(2) win on Saturday and pick up her third Grand Slam title.
Bencic hopes Open organisers make it fair for players in isolation.
"We're so excited for our new adventure," added Barty, who will be at the January 16-29 Australian Open mentoring local hope Olivia Gadecki.
Ash Barty's dream of ending her nation's 42-year wait for a homegrown Australian Open champion lay in tatters on Thursday after the world number one crumbled on the big points in a straight-sets semi-final defeat to Sofia Kenin. The 23-year-old Queenslander beat a hasty retreat from Rod Laver Arena after losing her first Melbourne semi-final 7-6(6), 7-5, shaking her head ruefully as she walked down the player's tunnel.
"The best part is she just treats me like a normal person and we can relate in that regard and off-court is just as important as on court."
Ash Barty said on Thursday there was no perfect time to bow out of tennis but that claiming the Australian Open championship in front of home fans was the ideal finish to her career.
'Now, it's about maintaining for if and when we get an opportunity to play again this year, you can kinda flick that switch and go from there.'
Swiatek's last defeat on clay came in the WTA 1000 event in Madrid against Australian Barty, who elected not to defend her 2019 French Open title last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Britain's Andy Murray expects some of the top male players to follow women's world number one Ash Barty in skipping next month's US Open in New York due to concerns over the coronavirus pandemic. Australian Barty said on Thursday she is not comfortable travelling to the United States amid the pandemic for the hardcourt Grand Slam, which begins on August 31.
Holder Elina Svitolina will face world number one Ash Barty in the end-of-season WTA Finals showpiece on Sunday after they got past Belinda Bencic and Karolina Pliskova respectively in the semi-finals at Shenzhen Bay Sports Centre.
Ash Barty's bid to end the host nation's long wait for a homegrown Australian Open champion will begin against Ukraine's Lesia Tsurenko
Nick Kyrgios has previously said he feels under-appreciated in his home country despite drawing crowds and media attention whenever he plays.
World No 1 Ash Barty announced her engagement to longtime partner Garry Kissick on social media on Tuesday.
World number one Ash Barty has decided to retire from professional tennis at the age of 25 and at the peak of her game, citing the fulfilment of her tennis goals and fatigue with life on the Tour.
'I have a lot of other goals, dreams that are in my mind and within my team and we'll certainly reset in the next couple of days ... enjoy some time together and then we go again. But really looking forward to the Olympics.'
World number one Ash Barty became the first Australian woman to win the Wimbledon singles title for 41 years on Saturday when she defeated Czech Karolina Pliskova in the final.
Barty is primed to become the first local since Chris O'Neil in 1978 to win the Australian Open.
'I always had this vision that we would all play until we are 35 or something'
Ash Barty carries a nation's hopes of ending the long wait for a home champion into the Australian Open
The women's Grand Slams were all won by different players for a fifth straight year in 2021
On the men's side, the fields have already been divided into two ATP 250 tournaments.
Barty's athleticism is remarkable.
Images from Day 3 of the 2022 Australian Open in Melbourne on Wednesday.
Ash Barty has become the first local woman to reach the final of an Australian Open in 42 years.
The book will be published by HarperCollins and begin to hit shelves in July.
Joining in to wish the new Wimbledon champ were tennis great Rod Laver, English women's cricketer Isa Guha, 2000 Olympics champion Cathy Freeman, another Aboriginal athlete, along with Aboriginal cricketer Mel Jones ...
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Wednesday
With tears running down her cheeks she then climbed into the stands towards her team, a tradition started by compatriot Pat Cash when he won the men's singles in 1987.
Ashleigh Barty stunningly lost her chance to regain the number one world ranking when the Australian was beaten in straight sets by Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova.
Top seed Ash Barty rallied from a set down to power into the semi-finals of the Cincinnati Masters on Friday.
Emma Raducanu says she is not worried about her poor form and will play without pressure at the Australian Open.
