Ash Barty
"You always learn a lot more when you lose."
Ash Barty is one of Australia’s most beloved sports personalities. She is a former professional tennis player and cricketer, and was the second Australian tennis player to be ranked world No. 1 in singles – a title she held for more than two years.
Barty is a three-time Grand Slam singles champion, taking home titles from the Australian open, Wimbledon, and the French Open, not to mention her prowess in the doubles game.
Additionally, she is also a published author several times over. She has two autobiographies to her name, including My Dream Time, which won the 2023 ABIA Award for Best Biography, and Champion, the young readers edition of her autobiography.
Furthermore, Barty has released a number of kids’ books as well. This include her ‘Little Ash’ series, which begins with Perfect Match! and offers an inspirational tale of sport, school, friendship and family for young readers.
Australia is incredibly proud to claim Ash Barty as their own, and we’re even more proud to also claim her as a talented Australian author.
Meet Ash Barty
Ashleigh Jacinta Barty was born in Ipswich, Queensland in 1996. Both her parents played golf at a state representative level, and which perhaps contributed to Ash’s predilection for tennis at an early age.
She began working with a coach at just four years of age, and by 12, she was playing against adult men. By the time she was 17, she was away training for most of the year, spending less than a month at home due to her hectic schedule. However, all that work paid off, and she was winning titles and playing in top tournaments throughout her teens.
After several years making a name for herself in tennis, Barty took a break from the sport to play cricket in 2014. Despite never before playing cricket, she soon took a shine to the sport and excelled there for the Western Suburbs and the Heat for two years.
Eventually, she returned to tennis, where she won the French Open in 2019, Wimbledon in 2021, and the Australian Open in 2022. She then announced her retirement from the game and is now the National Indigenous Tennis Ambassador for Tennis Australia.