Tennis Australia Press Release, December 13, 2022
Former world No.1 and Australian Open 2022 women’s singles champion Ash Barty (Qld) has claimed her fifth consecutive Newcombe Medal at tonight’s Australian Tennis Awards.
The 26-year-old was presented with the top honour in Australian tennis by legend John Newcombe at the annual awards ceremony at Crown Palladium.
“This has obviously been a very big year in my career and in my life,” said Barty, who went undefeated in 15 singles and doubles matches in January, before stunningly announcing her retirement in March.
“We’ve had exceptional change, we’ve had an amazing year of celebrating a journey of not only myself, but my team, and there is so much to be proud of.
“I stand here very proudly knowing that I absolutely fulfilled every ounce that I could to this beautiful sport that brought me so much more than I could have ever dreamt.
“There are so many people behind the scenes that help me and allowed me to live out my dream and to discover what it felt like to work hard and really chase after something you love.”
The three-time Grand Slam singles champion, who won her first Newcombe Medal in 2017, is the first player to win the coveted award five times.
Barty went undefeated in an astonishing Australian summer, recording 11 singles and four doubles victories. She defeated four consecutive top 25-ranked players to win the Adelaide International singles title and combined with Storm Hunter to sweep the doubles trophy.
Barty sensationally continued her winning run at Melbourne Park, not dropping a set to become the first Australian women’s singles champion in 44 years.
She stunned the tennis world a few months later by announcing her immediate retirement.
“I’m so grateful to everything that tennis has given me; it’s given me all of my dreams, plus more,” declared Barty, who proudly continues to serve as Tennis Australia’s First Nations Ambassador.
Barty won from a record field of seven deserving nominees, which included Alex de Minaur (NSW), Matt Ebden (WA), Storm Hunter (nee Sanders) (WA), Nick Kyrgios (ACT), Max Purcell (NSW) and Ajla Tomljanovic (Qld).
Evonne Goolagong Cawley was awarded the Spirit of Tennis award, presented by Barty, for her tireless work with the Evonne Goolagong Foundation.
“This certainly was a real surprise,” said Goolagong Cawley as she took to the stage.
“Particularly coming from a really wonderful friend of mine. She wasn’t just a great tennis player, she’s a great person on and off the court and I’ll love her forever.”
Almost four decades after her retirement, Goolagong Cawley’s passion for making a difference is still strong. The Evonne Goolagong Foundation proudly runs national development camps for Indigenous children across the country.
“This game of tennis has given me so much in my life,” Goolagong Cawley said.
“And it’s all because of the townspeople of Barellan. They saw me hitting against a wall every day and they decided to help me.
“I wouldn’t be standing here unless I didn’t have that original support. That support has really taken me all over the world.
“Every time I got on the court, I always felt I was lucky to there in the first place. Lucky to be found in a small country town and lucky not to be taken away … so everytime I set foot on the court, I just felt like the luckiest person in the world.
“I was doing exactly the thing that I wanted to do, which was play tennis. Even when I lost, it really didn’t bother me for that reason. Because I was just lucky to be there.”
The Newcombe Medal and Spirit of Tennis awards were presented alongside 13 Australian Tennis Awards, recognising players, coaches, clubs, communities, volunteers and officials for their service and commitment to the sport.
Edward Winter (SA) was named Male Junior Athlete of the Year, while Talia Gibson (WA) and Taylah Preston (WA) shared the honours of Female Junior Athlete of the Year. It was the second award for both Gibson and Preston, who were previous winners of this category in 2019 and 2021, respectively.
Heath Davidson (Vic) was awarded Most Outstanding Athlete with a Disability, making it the second time he has won the award after sharing the honours with former doubles partner Dylan Alcott in 2016.
Newcombe Medal, Australian Tennis Award winners
Newcombe Medal
Ash Barty (Qld)
Spirit of Tennis
Evonne Goolagong Cawley (NSW)
Coaching Excellence – Club
David Grainger, Henley South Tennis Club (SA)
Coaching Excellence – Development
Luke Bourgeois, Voyager Tennis Academy (NSW)
Coaching Excellence – Performance
Craig Tyzzer (Vic)
Excellence in Officiating
Robyn Tucker (SA)
Female Junior Athlete of the Year
Talia Gibson (WA) and Taylah Preston (WA)
Male Junior Athlete of the Year
Edward Winter (SA)
Most Outstanding Athlete with a Disability
Heath Davidson (Vic)
Most Outstanding Tennis Club
Collaroy Tennis Club (NSW)
Most Outstanding Professional Tournament
Euroa Lawn Tennis Club Labour Day (Vic)
Most Outstanding School
Aitken Creek Primary School (Vic)
Most Outstanding 35+ Tennis Senior
Jarrod Broadbent (Vic)
Volunteer Achievement Award
Julie Polkinghorne (SA)
