Ashleigh Barty received the prestigious WTA Player of the Year award, receiving 82% of the media vote. The recognition comes after the Australian won her first grand slam singles title at French Open. She is also currently ranked No. 1 in the world.
Barty Brakes Records
The 23-year old became the first Australian to win the French Open since Margaret Court in 1973. That didn’t stop her from topping another accomplishment, as well. She became the second Australian woman to reach the WTA world No. 1 ranking, with Evonne Goolagong Cawley being the first back in 1976.
Barty also won the reputable Miami title this year. And she topped all that with a win at the richest competition in the history of tennis – Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen. In the final, she beat Elina Svitolina 6-4, 6-3. And, of course, she finished the year with 56 match wins. More than any other player on Tour. What a fantastic year for the 23-year old, indeed!
An interesting fact about Ashleigh Barty is that she quit tennis in 2014 to pursue her cricket passion, but returned back to the court in 2016 an is stronger than ever.
