Young girls in Australia, and indeed around the world, are daring to dream bigger today, and holding their heads a little higher and walking a little taller, after watching Australian professional tennis player Ash Barty win the ultimate crown at Wimbledon (the first Australian woman to do so since Evonne Goolagong Crawley won the title in1980) on Saturday UK time. Ash played a scorching match, winning the women’s singles title at the prestigious pinnacle of grand slams (watched on by a crowd including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge).
Barty’s classy finesse on the grass court against Czech player Karolina Pliskova, winning 6-3, 6-7, 6-3 was the stuff of legends. This is Ash’s second tennis grand slam title, after winning the French Open in 2019. As she told Channel 9 after her victory at Wimbledon, “It took me a long time to verbalise the fact that I wanted to dare to dream and say I wanted to win this incredible tournament, and being able to live out my dream right now with everyone here has made it better than I could ever imagine”.
Barty’s emulation of her hero (both are proud Aboriginal women) Evonne Goolagong Crawley, is nothing short of a major milestone and win in Australian (and World) sporting history. Significantly, both Ash and Evonne are humble heroes; a fact that makes them all the more endearing to their many fans.
I think all Australians feel happy for Ash. To any young girls, young women, and indeed older women, I would say we all have our gifts in life. Ash’s is to be a top tennis player. Yours may be to be a joyful opera singer or an encouraging teacher or a conscientious medical researcher.
Whatever your background and life situation, like Ash dream big and believe. Anything is possible and miracles do happen.
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