So it’s finals weekend at what has been a terrific Australian Open and tonight we will witness Australia’s world No.1 Ash Barty in the final of her home Grand Slam.
I’ve got to say the Ash you see on court and in her post-match interviews is the same Ash that first appeared as a five-year-old at West Brisbane Tennis Centre all those years ago.
She has always been respectful, humble and dare I say, determined to do her best. She has always gone about things in a manner that she and her family can be very proud of.
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Her parents, Rob and Josie, have always encouraged Ash to do her best. They have never been pushy and it’s fair to say they are the perfect sporting parents.
I was one of the coaches working for Jim and Rob Joyce at West Brisbane Tennis Centre when Ash first arrived. She had amazing natural talent, she had wonderful hand eye and of course was a little cheeky as well.
As Ash developed as a player and a person so did her relationship with Jim Joyce. It moved from player-coach to a player-coach/mentor relationship. Jim helped guide Ash through what can be a difficult period for a talented athlete in any sport, that time where a talented teenager is pulled in various directions by academies and governing bodies.
They mean well and are going by the book, but sometimes they don’t understand the athlete in question. Well I can tell you, Jim understood and even though he ruffled a few feathers along the way, he helped guide Ash and the Barty family through a period of many challenges.
One of the best things Jim did was have Ash play adult fixtures from an early age. Ash was a seven-to-eight year old playing against grown men at a very high standard each Thursday night.
By the time Ash was 10, some of the biggest servers in the fixture comp didn’t hold back when playing her. I remember one player named Zoran who would hit a serve around 190km/h, and Ash would have no problem getting the ball back into play. She was already learning back then how to combat a players power game on the other side of the net.
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The all-court game and the famous sliced backhand was developed by Jim at an early age as well.
Not a lot of people know this, but quite often when Ash was on a break, including during the time she left the game to play cricket, she’d often be seen at West Brisbane Tennis Centre helping out with coaching and hitting with the young kids. Ash has always remained grounded and level-headed and has never forgotten where she came from.
Ash has had great guidance throughout her career. From Jim to the likes of Jason Stoltenberg. She has learnt from many to help turn herself into the best player in the world.
Ash often talks about her team, they are perfect for her. The team headed up by Craig Tyzzer do a terrific job and are perfect for Ash, on and off the court.
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I’ll be cheering for Ash tonight and if she wins I’ll shed a tear for her. Those that have known her for a long time will know the hard work and sacrifice she’s put in.
I’ll also be proud of my mate, Jim Joyce. He’ll be courtside tonight and will be the proudest man inside Rod Laver Arena should Ash Barty win the Australian Open final.
Go Ash!
Peter Psaltis is a presenter for 4BC in Brisbane and an NRL commentator for Nine.