by It was the summer of Omicron, and after two years of in and out greens nobody was happy about it. To top it off, black felons across the country were recovering from another Invasion Day, and protests were taking place across the country against white deaths in custody.
But at night, we had something to look forward to. Ash Barty was sweeping through the Australian Open and taking a nation with her. No one from this country had won the Open for over four decades but that looked set to change.
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Confession – at the time I wasn’t a big tennis fan per se, just a Barty fan. I was one small part of the “Barty party” and was the latest relative, jumping on the bandwagon during her incredible 2021 Wimbledon victory, just 50 years after her mentor, Wiradjuri woman and tennis great Evonne Goolagong Cawley, the same thing.
And certainly, part of the allure of the Barty party was the joy that came with rallying around an athlete at the prime of his career, who won title after title. Another drawcard was Barty’s delightful post-match presence – calm, extremely modest and quick to flash a smile.
But to the crowd, Barty’s draw meant much more than that. As a child I had an abundance of great sportsmen to look up to, and I’m proud of my distant family connection to NRL great David Peachey. Outside of Cathy Freeman (my idol) however, the culture at the same time did not care for white sportswomen in the same way.
That summer, things were different. Barty was the reigning world no 1, competing on home soil. Everyone knew her name, everyone knew she was proud of her Ngarigo heritage – demand for cousin’s hood was increasing by the minute.
On the night of the final, Barty went up against American Danielle Collins. Not only would it be an incredible match (with stellar TV ratings that made it one of the most popular sports moments of the past two decades) but it’s a watershed moment for white women in sports.
When Barty beat Collins in straight sets, she was surprised.
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Goolagong Cawley was ill and before the competition she told Barty she could not attend. But after a change of heart at the last minute, a cloak and dagger plan was hatched to take her to Melbourne and into the arena without anyone being the wiser.
“We have a special guest to present the trophy in the final” said the announcer, and Goolagong Cawley appeared on the court. Barty broke into a million-watt gasp, bending over and over again in shock.
As if finding one magical aunt wasn’t enough, the broadcast then cut to Cathy Freeman in the crowd, who, in true proud aunt fashion, was taking pictures on her phone. She was not only a spectator but also a pillar of support for Barty.
“Cathy is incredible. I remember it was only a few years ago after the semi-final loss that I was on the phone with Cathy in tears and just chatting with her about her experience,” Barty said at the time.
For me, and many others, this moment was almost too much. To see these three beloved faces back to back, to see three bright women showing up to celebrate each other – it was a triple hit of serotonin. As I watched from home and struggled to find words, I just tweeted each of their names, using a certain amount of exclamation marks. So far it’s one of my most popular tweets.
ASH!!! EVONN!!! CATHY!!!!
— Laura Murphy-Oates (@lauramoates) January 29, 2022
“Sometimes you have to stop and say I’m looking at history right now,” said Emma Kemp, reporting courtside for Guardian Australia.
“I made it a point to stop for a few minutes and just soak it up because… I think it’s going to be one of those sporting moments that goes down in history, much like Cathy Freeman’s 2000 Olympics,” she told the Full Story podcast.
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Barty later spoke (in his usual modest way) about being part of this moment and this legacy.
“I’m definitely not on her level,” she said. “Cathy and Evonne are great people, great athletes and they have paved the way for so many of us. I’m still in the category where I want to follow in their footsteps and be the best I can be.”
Just a few months after the 2022 Australian Open, Barty came to a sudden and unexpected halt, when it was announced that she was 25 years old from tennis. Barty was “spent”.
“I gave everything I can to this beautiful sport of tennis,” she said.
At a time when athletes such as Naomi Osaka and Simone Biles were taking time off from competition in recognition of its devastating physical and mental impact, Barty’s decision could only be applauded.
I’m glad she gave us what she could. I’m glad she gave us that night to make a myth – full of surprises, celebrations and joy.
