Title : Triumphant Barty hails cricket stint after French Open win
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Triumphant Barty hails cricket stint after French Open win
Newly crowned French Open champion Ashleigh Barty has credited her stint as a player with Brisbane Heat's Women's Big Bash League team for rescuing her career.
Key points:
- Australia's Ash Barty has won the French Open title with a straight-sets win over Marketa Vondrousova in Paris
- Barty stunned the tennis world in 2014 when she left the tour to spend time back in Australia playing cricket
- Three years ago she returned to tennis with a world ranking of 623 — after her title win, she will move to number two
Barty became Australia's fourth female winner at Roland Garros overnight as she brushed aside Czech teen Marketa Vondrousova in straight sets just three years after returning to tennis.
After winning junior Wimbledon in 2011, Barty struggled to deal with the expectation and pressure placed upon her young shoulders and sensationally walked away from the sport, disillusioned and desperate for a break.
Barty did continue to hit tennis balls during her sabbatical with junior coach Jim Joyce at West Brisbane Tennis Club and admitted she always knew she would return.
However, she said the time spent with cricketers like Australia internationals Beth Mooney and Jess Jonassen had a huge effect on her.
"It truly was an amazing period of my life," Barty said.
"I met an amazing group of people who couldn't care less whether I could hit a tennis ball or not.
"They accepted me, and they got to know Ash Barty. They got to know me. I still have those relationships to this very day.
"I got an amazing amount of messages over the last couple of days from those cricket girls who were some of my best friends.
"The way they are accepting of someone new coming into their locker room, into their dressing room and into their sport was amazing.
"They are truly an incredible group of girls that I know I'll have a relationship with for the rest of my life and a friendship with for the rest of my life."
Rain in Paris delayed the start of Barty's final, with the men's semi-final between Novak Djokovic and Dominic Thiem running to a fifth set before the Austrian prevailed 6-2, 3-6, 7-5, 5-7, 7-5.
Barty and her team whiled away the time with an impromptu game of cricket in the gym area underneath Court Philippe Chatrier, but the 23-year-old insists despite her enjoyment of the game, tennis will always remain her first love.
"I never closed any doors or said, 'I'm never playing tennis again'," she said.
"For me, I needed time to step away, to live a normal life, because this tennis life certainly isn't normal.
"I think I needed time to grow as a person, to mature and I left all of my options open.
"I think it was just a natural progression for me coming back to tennis.
"Tennis will always be a big part of my life. I missed the competition."
Barty's coach Craig Tyzzer believes Barty would not have been able to have compete again at the highest level had she not walked away when she did.
"It was the best thing she ever did: stepping away from the sport," Tyzzer said.
"She wanted to reassess her life. For someone to be able to step back in and play at the level she has after three years out is pretty amazing."
Coach never thought title was on for Barty
Tyzzer put it bluntly after Barty's triumph that he never expected his charge to win the French Open.
"It really wasn't in our thoughts at all," Tyzzer said.
"It was to get through it match by match, really.
"We prepare for every match the same, I think when you see who has come through the draw here, it's up to anyone.
"To go this far? Our expectations weren't that high and she's done an incredible job."
He insisted success won't change Barty's approach to the sport.
"She has real Aussie spirit, you go out there and do your best and look your opponent in the eye and shake hands at the end of the day," he said.
"She's humble, she's hard working.
"I do think clay suits Ash's game, because she has a few skills, particularly a slice backhand and a big kick serve, that helps her on clay as well.
"We're going to play a bit of golf and do nothing at all.
"She was pretty tired after yesterday's semi-final, both mentally and physically.
"Expectations today were a bit unknown and for her to play at that level was so good."
AAP
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