Speaker 1: Tennis is back in a free way, back in a
Speaker 1: freak way. It's wonderful, it's gross.
Speaker 2: This is exactly on tennis need. It's the greatest athelete
Speaker 2: of all time. Time has been everything. It was never
Speaker 2: going to be perfect, but this was perfect to.
Speaker 3: Me and I think it was a really challenging thing
Speaker 3: to talk about, but also in a sense it was
Speaker 3: really easy because I'm really happy with my decision.
Speaker 2: I leave the sport being completely fulfilled.
Speaker 4: Hi, I'm John Huvenas. Welcome to a special Ash Barty
Speaker 4: episode of the AO Show. The tennis world is still
Speaker 4: coming to grips with the twenty five year old sudden
Speaker 4: retirement from the professional arena just five weeks after her
Speaker 4: history making triumph in Melbourne. The world number one had
Speaker 4: been preparing to lead Australia in its Billy Jean King
Speaker 4: Cup qualifier against Slovakia later this month, before the cancelation
Speaker 4: of the tie in mid March. In late February, the
Speaker 4: three time major champion journeyed to the Australian Red Center
Speaker 4: to Ularu and Alice Springs, visiting members of the Mutta
Speaker 4: Julu community as part of her role as First Nation's
Speaker 4: Ambassador for Tennis Australia during her time there. She sat
Speaker 4: down with Australian Tennis Magazines viv Christi for an exclusive
Speaker 4: interview about her experience of the trip, knowing in the
Speaker 4: back of her mind that her professional tennis career would
Speaker 4: soon be coming to an end. Today, on the AO Show,
Speaker 4: we bring you the full interview with Ash Barty, three
Speaker 4: weeks before the retirement that shocked the tennis world.
Speaker 1: Ash, perhaps you could start by describing your experience of
Speaker 1: seeing Ularu for the first time.
Speaker 3: Really hard to put into words, I think, just because
Speaker 3: it was It's a feeling when you actually go to
Speaker 3: Uluru for the first time, like I did, and like
Speaker 3: I have over the last few days. It was just
Speaker 3: an incredible experience for me to understand how much of
Speaker 3: a connection and a spiritual connection Uluru is for so
Speaker 3: many communities around but also as as a child, as
Speaker 3: an Aboriginal girl growing up, it's the heartbeat of our nation.
Speaker 3: I think being able to experience that firsthand was something
Speaker 3: I always wanted to do, and to be able to
Speaker 3: allow myself through my profession and through my career to
Speaker 3: have that opportunity was really special.
Speaker 1: Why was it so important for you to make this
Speaker 1: trip to Central Australia.
Speaker 3: I think it's just an incredible experience for me personally
Speaker 3: to get more in touch with my heritage and more
Speaker 3: in touch with my culture, but also to visit the communities,
Speaker 3: to see the kids and see the way that the
Speaker 3: world is working and the world lives in remote communities.
Speaker 3: I think it's amazing to be in touch with that,
Speaker 3: and it's amazing to sometimes recognize how different it can be.
Speaker 2: And it's a beautiful, beautiful part of our.
Speaker 3: Nation and our world, and I think I was just
Speaker 3: very fortunate and lucky to be able to be a
Speaker 3: part of it.
Speaker 1: What were you thinking as you're moving closer to.
Speaker 3: Ularu, how big and powerful and enormous it is. I
Speaker 3: think that it's just an incredible part of our landscape
Speaker 3: that hasn't changed over thousands of years. And I think
Speaker 3: that's one of the most beautiful things about it.
Speaker 2: It is untouched.
Speaker 3: It's just as perfect as it ever was and ever
Speaker 3: has been and should be, and that's how we should
Speaker 3: protect our land.
Speaker 2: And I think being able to experience.
Speaker 3: That the closer that you get is really special, and
Speaker 3: certain parts of the rock faces and how it changes
Speaker 3: throughout the light and how it changes.
Speaker 2: Depending on where you walk and which way you look
Speaker 2: is a really, really beautiful way to see it.
Speaker 1: One of your experiences today was eating bushtucker. Can you
Speaker 1: describe eating bushtucker?
Speaker 2: For us?
Speaker 3: Bushtucker is brilliant, and I think it's just amazing to
Speaker 3: know that there is still so much that we.
Speaker 2: Can use from the land. The land is still giving us.
Speaker 3: The land is still giving us a way to live
Speaker 3: and to work and to love and respect it. And
Speaker 3: I think that's probably the most important thing that I
Speaker 3: got out of yesterday, was being around all the room,
Speaker 3: being around the communities, is how much they still rely
Speaker 3: on the land. And I think that's a really beautiful
Speaker 3: part of our culture, and I think it's a really
Speaker 3: important part of being a human being, is understanding that
Speaker 3: we need to respect the environment and just nderstand how
Speaker 3: much it still gives to us.
Speaker 1: When we visited the watering hole, you clearly loved being
Speaker 1: surrounded by so much nature. How special was that experience?
Speaker 3: Yeah, I felt like that was that was Australia in
Speaker 3: its purest form. You could you could hear the zebra
Speaker 3: finches in the background, you could see the water.
Speaker 2: You look up and you get the beautiful blue sky
Speaker 2: that's that's contrasting against all ruin.
Speaker 3: It's just an amazing area to sit and appreciate and
Speaker 3: I think appreciations of word that that I use a
Speaker 3: lot in my life, and I think that moment was
Speaker 3: just that was that was it in its.
Speaker 2: Purest form, and I think it was just a beautiful,
Speaker 2: beautiful moment.
Speaker 1: You also had the opportunity to actually touch the rock face.
Speaker 1: Can you describe the energy that you got from that experience?
Speaker 3: Yeah, Never in my life did I think that I
Speaker 3: would have the opportunity to be able to touch and
Speaker 3: feel and connect with all rule. And I think also
Speaker 3: understanding how much the color has changed over time was
Speaker 3: a really interesting part.
Speaker 2: Part of the experience to.
Speaker 3: Me is knowing knowing the original color and seeing the
Speaker 3: original color and feeling it and understanding how it has
Speaker 3: changed and adapted and rusted over time. And I think
Speaker 3: it's just a beautiful part of our landscape, and I
Speaker 3: think being able to connect with it in a hands
Speaker 3: on kind of feel and scenario was really magical. It
Speaker 3: was amazing and I think you look around and you
Speaker 3: see the impact that it has on everyone.
Speaker 2: That was there.
Speaker 3: That's the spiritual connection to the land, and I think
Speaker 3: that's the spiritual connection to our culture and our heritage,
Speaker 3: and it was really amazing to feel that firsthand.
Speaker 1: Throughout the day. You were careful to always be respectful
Speaker 1: in checking, for example, that it was okay to touch
Speaker 1: the rock face before you did.
Speaker 2: So.
Speaker 1: Can you talk about the importance of that respect.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think for me that's just become quite natural
Speaker 3: for me as a Person's the value that my parents
Speaker 3: instilled in my sisters and I when we're quite young.
Speaker 3: As the respect is also massive. And We've been invited
Speaker 3: to come into this community, and I think it was
Speaker 3: important that.
Speaker 2: We respected their rules and kind of.
Speaker 3: The way that they live, and I just wanted to
Speaker 3: make sure that I wasn't overstepping any marks culturally. I
Speaker 3: know that there are some sensitive areas and some sensitive
Speaker 3: sides of Ularo and ways you only get to view
Speaker 3: it if you are there, So I just wanted to
Speaker 3: make sure that we were doing all the right things
Speaker 3: for all of us, but for me in particular, I'm
Speaker 3: always wanting to be able to help the communities.
Speaker 2: Feel comfortable with us.
Speaker 3: They allowed us to come in into their space and
Speaker 3: into their community and feel that, and I just wanted
Speaker 3: to make sure that we were doing the right things
Speaker 3: because that's part of the experience as well as that
Speaker 3: allows us then to get the best out of the
Speaker 3: communities and the best out of the people, and that
Speaker 3: builds a relationship instantly.
Speaker 1: It was really lovely to see you soaking up so
Speaker 1: much knowledge throughout the day. How much did you enjoy
Speaker 1: simply learning?
Speaker 2: It was so fulfilling.
Speaker 3: And I think the Mean and Nikki who helped us
Speaker 3: around and we're talking us through a lot of the
Speaker 3: history and the culture and the special parts of Ularo,
Speaker 3: were just incredible. They made the day so special and
Speaker 3: it was just a really fulfilling day in being able
Speaker 3: to accept the gratitude and accept just the beautiful.
Speaker 2: Pure scenery that we're in.
Speaker 3: We're in the heartbeat of the country, the heartbeat of
Speaker 3: our nation, and for me to be there, I feel
Speaker 3: extremely fortunate and lucky to get to experience that firsthand.
Speaker 1: There was an incredible moment of quiet when you were
Speaker 1: lying down and looking up at the rock surface. Can
Speaker 1: you describe that for us?
Speaker 3: The steepest point of the rock and it was beautiful,
Speaker 3: and I think it forced the quiet because people wanted
Speaker 3: to absorb the energy and absorb the feeling and really
Speaker 3: just take it all in. And I think it's funny
Speaker 3: that it wasn't planned. I think we all just the
Speaker 3: quiet just happened because I think everyone wanted to listen,
Speaker 3: to absorb it, to take it all in and just
Speaker 3: take it for what it was. And that's a moment
Speaker 3: that I certainly will never ever forget. And seeing the
Speaker 3: most steep face of the rock was just incredible, and
Speaker 3: seeing it from that view lying down was even better.
Speaker 1: Was there a type of mindfulness to that moment?
Speaker 2: Absolutely?
Speaker 3: It was quiet, it was calm, and it was beautiful,
Speaker 3: and I think whenever you can bring yourself in a
Speaker 3: really present moment, I wasn't thinking about anything else except
Speaker 3: appreciating what was around us, and for a minute I
Speaker 3: closed my eyes and it was just exceptional. It was
Speaker 3: just an amazing moment for me to sit and settle
Speaker 3: and take it in. And it was a really really
Speaker 3: beautiful moment of mindfulness without even trying to get there,
Speaker 3: it naturally happened. I think that's the way that the
Speaker 3: environment works for us, and that's a really spiritual connection
Speaker 3: that ULARU gives to so many people. That go there
Speaker 3: is that it gives you this piece, it gives you
Speaker 3: this quiet, and it gives you a moment to really
Speaker 3: sit and appreciate.
Speaker 1: And then you were able to spend some time in
Speaker 1: the local community. How much did you enjoy meeting the
Speaker 1: local people and hitting with the kids through the Rackets
Speaker 1: and Red Dust program.
Speaker 3: The Rackets and Red Dust program is just an incredible
Speaker 3: program in giving that opportunity to meet new people, to
Speaker 3: try new things. And Beth and Anzac have done an
Speaker 3: incredible job in allowing communities to let us in and
Speaker 3: to trust us. And I think one of the most
Speaker 3: special parts is we've I mean, essentially, we've got a
Speaker 3: group of strangers that have come into a community to
Speaker 3: try something new.
Speaker 2: And the kids were so excited.
Speaker 3: It's very unusual for young Aboriginal girls or boys to
Speaker 3: come up and be so affectionate with strangers or hug strangers,
Speaker 3: and the kids were hugging me, and it just made
Speaker 3: me feel so warm and welcome, and it was just
Speaker 3: a really really fun few hours of spending time with
Speaker 3: the kids. Incredible athletes, Incredible that they were able to
Speaker 3: play tennis. I mean they started playing tennis. A couple
Speaker 3: of days ago, and we could already have some rallies,
Speaker 3: which is just mind blowing. And I think for them
Speaker 3: to really absorb that new skill, a new skill set,
Speaker 3: and do it with some strangers that they've welcomed into
Speaker 3: their home was really.
Speaker 2: Warming in a sense that they felt natural. We had fun.
Speaker 2: I don't think there wasn't There wasn't.
Speaker 3: One kid, there wasn't one parent, there wasn't one elder
Speaker 3: that wasn't smiling and enjoying it. And I think that's
Speaker 3: what that's what lights me up the most is at
Speaker 3: that moment, I know that all of us were We're
Speaker 3: never going to forget it, and I think that that
Speaker 3: was a lot of fun.
Speaker 1: There was one little girl, Elrica, who was following you
Speaker 1: around so closely, she was almost shadowing you. Were you
Speaker 1: aware of how much she was connecting with you?
Speaker 3: Elrica? She was incredible. She was amazing. And she even
Speaker 3: came up to my dad. He's been nice enough to
Speaker 3: join us the last couple of days.
Speaker 2: And she said to him, your dad, and he goes, yeah,
Speaker 2: she said, you're the boss, and he just loved that.
Speaker 3: And that's the respect that's instilled in the communities from
Speaker 3: such a young age.
Speaker 2: And for us as strangers to come in.
Speaker 3: They made it so warm and welcoming and so much
Speaker 3: fun and it was just so brilliant to see so many.
Speaker 2: Of the kids.
Speaker 3: But Erika in particular, she was having so much fun.
Speaker 3: She couldn't get enough of it. She wanted to pick
Speaker 3: up the ball, she was throwing them, kicking them, hitting
Speaker 3: them with the rackets like she was just exceptional. And
Speaker 3: to see that at such a young age in such
Speaker 3: a small community is really heartwarming knowing that there are
Speaker 3: so many other kids out there that just need the
Speaker 3: opportunity to just need the experience to try it, to
Speaker 3: see to see how they go.
Speaker 1: What do you think we'll be next in tennis? For
Speaker 1: the boys and girls that you met here in the community.
Speaker 3: It's a tough one because it's the opportunity is not
Speaker 3: always there. But I mean, we hope that we can
Speaker 3: just continue to grow the sport and hope to give
Speaker 3: them that opportunity more regularly. And it's not just in tennis,
Speaker 3: it's in all sports, in education. It's about bringing more
Speaker 3: opportunity not just to the youth as well, it's to
Speaker 3: everyone in the communities. And I think around Australia, We're
Speaker 3: a very big nation and we have a massive connection
Speaker 3: still to our tribes and to our communities, and it's
Speaker 3: about helping them and working hand in hand and giving
Speaker 3: the opportunities to try and become better human beings, to
Speaker 3: become more educated, to become more coordinated, to have more fun,
Speaker 3: and also feel like you can connect with them at
Speaker 3: a level that is a human being natural level. And
Speaker 3: I think that's a really important part of what I
Speaker 3: do and what I love. But coming out into the
Speaker 3: communities is really fulfilling.
Speaker 1: How can tennis be a vehicle for improved health and education.
Speaker 2: A massive mass vehicle.
Speaker 3: I think it brings people together first and foremost, it
Speaker 3: allows people to feel safe in an environment. And of
Speaker 3: course there's the health and well being attributes that come
Speaker 3: with being fit, being outside, being outdoors, and I think
Speaker 3: the education also comes with the opportunity is that it's
Speaker 3: learning a new skill, it's learning it's talking to new people,
Speaker 3: it's learning different ways of life, talking to people that
Speaker 3: come from all walks of life. And I think being
Speaker 3: able to connect with everyone is a really important skill.
Speaker 3: And I think that that is something that's massive when
Speaker 3: we do come up and get these opportunities to come
Speaker 3: to the communities. Is that they're talking to people that
Speaker 3: they've never seen before. They've never seen TV cameras, they've
Speaker 3: never seen a net, they've never seen rackets, they've never
Speaker 3: seen the different types of balls, and a lot of
Speaker 3: the time they don't get to talk about that. And
Speaker 3: I think being able to just experience thirty forty fifty
Speaker 3: different people that do different things in their life, that
Speaker 3: have had different experiences, that communication creates a way of curiosity,
Speaker 3: and I think that's a really important word, as well
Speaker 3: as being able to be curious about education, about sport,
Speaker 3: about all these different opportunities and allow these young kids
Speaker 3: to dream and think that could be me one day?
Speaker 2: The what if? Why not me? And I think that's
Speaker 2: a really important part of what we do.
Speaker 1: How important is it for these young people to have
Speaker 1: role models?
Speaker 2: Yeah, it is.
Speaker 3: I think it's really important just to feel like someone
Speaker 3: else has been able to help create the opportunity.
Speaker 2: And for Yvonne, what she has done for me and.
Speaker 3: A lot of other Indigenous youth is that she was
Speaker 3: the one who said why not me and paved this
Speaker 3: beautiful path into being. It's not only a champion of
Speaker 3: our sport, but a champion across the globe and icon.
Speaker 3: And she just has the most incredible foundation now that
Speaker 3: has set up this foundation and set the pathway for
Speaker 3: so many Indigenous youth to try things, to try different things,
Speaker 3: whether it's education, it's sport, it's art. There are so
Speaker 3: many different ways and avenues that you can go down
Speaker 3: now to try your curiousity, to see what lights you
Speaker 3: up inside. And I think me coming here, I get
Speaker 3: so much out of it, and I just hope that
Speaker 3: the kids enjoy it because I know how much of
Speaker 3: an impact it made when I was able to look
Speaker 3: up to someone like a Vonn and then be able
Speaker 3: to chat to her in more of a relaxed sense.
Speaker 3: And she's the most approachable, incredible human being. And if
Speaker 3: I can be half of what she is, I hope
Speaker 3: the kids feel comfortable around me to ask me those questions,
Speaker 3: to see what if, what could.
Speaker 1: Happen your own role model. Even Guligong Coley had some
Speaker 1: amazing experiences in Central Australia and a special connection to Ularu.
Speaker 1: Does that enhance what's already a really special relationship with
Speaker 1: Evon It does?
Speaker 3: I mean our relationship both personal and professional is it's
Speaker 3: just amazing how in touch with are with each other,
Speaker 3: and how intertwined we are, and how many things we
Speaker 3: share in common, how many incredible anniversaries or special moments
Speaker 3: we have together.
Speaker 2: And without a doubt that I'm a a very very.
Speaker 3: Strong believer, and that's come from our culture, and that
Speaker 3: has come from our connection to each other and with
Speaker 3: the land. And I think that a world has a
Speaker 3: really incredible way and the universe has this incredible way
Speaker 3: of bringing people together and working for you, not against you,
Speaker 3: and I think being able to accept that is a
Speaker 3: big part of allowing the universe to help you out.
Speaker 1: You were presented with some beautiful artwork by the local children.
Speaker 1: That must have been another highlight.
Speaker 3: Absolutely incredible, and I think each piece of Indigenous.
Speaker 2: And Aboriginal artwork has a story.
Speaker 3: And Lydia was able to come up and tell me
Speaker 3: her story and tell me about her artwork. And what's
Speaker 3: most special is that she has taken the time to
Speaker 3: create this story to gift to me a stranger who's
Speaker 3: come into her community, and she's gifted me a story
Speaker 3: of her and of us. And it's where people are
Speaker 3: coming together and connecting, and it's just incredible that she,
Speaker 3: as a young girl, already has that artistic connection to everyone,
Speaker 3: and I think that's her way of expressing it. And
Speaker 3: it's just beautiful that she was able to give me
Speaker 3: that beautiful piece that'll be up at home, stretched in
Speaker 3: the canvas at a pride and place. And I have
Speaker 3: a few Aboriginal pieces at home and all of them
Speaker 3: tell a story and whenever people come over, I love
Speaker 3: to tell that story. And I think now that Liddy
Speaker 3: and I share that together, I can't wait to tell
Speaker 3: people that story too.
Speaker 1: You've spoken a lot recently about feeling connected to the land.
Speaker 1: Do you feel more connected to the land after these
Speaker 1: couple of days in Central Australia.
Speaker 2: Absolutely, more and more every day.
Speaker 3: And it's all about the grounding and being able to
Speaker 3: absorb what it can give you.
Speaker 2: And that's for everyone that's just not.
Speaker 3: Aboriginal Torrestrade Island or Indigenous people that come back to
Speaker 3: their roots. Everyone on our nation has a sense of
Speaker 3: grounding and has a sense of connection to our land
Speaker 3: because this is our home, this is where we live.
Speaker 3: We need to protect it, we need to savor it
Speaker 3: and allow it to work for us, and we need
Speaker 3: to give back as much as we can as well.
Speaker 3: But certainly I know that this beautiful country of Australia
Speaker 3: helps me every single day. I love being an Aussie
Speaker 3: and I think days like yesterday just remind me of that.
Speaker 2: Absolutely.
Speaker 1: Was there something as special about the timing of this
Speaker 1: trip having come here as an Australian Open champion.
Speaker 2: Timing is everything. I'm a very, very big believer in that.
Speaker 3: And this trip has been delayed a couple of times now,
Speaker 3: and as much as I was disappointed previously that it
Speaker 3: had been delayed for different reasons, there is a reason
Speaker 3: now that where we are here at the time that
Speaker 3: we are, with what has happened through January, and to
Speaker 3: be able to connect with the kids now, and there
Speaker 3: is a reason.
Speaker 2: And I'm a big believer in that.
Speaker 3: I'm a big believer in silver linings, and I think
Speaker 3: that the experience and the feelings that everyone's going to
Speaker 3: come out of these last couple of days up here
Speaker 3: in such a beautiful place in the world, it's going
Speaker 3: to be magical.
Speaker 1: As you've won Grand Slams on every surface, clay, grass,
Speaker 1: hard court, is I have to ask, is red dust
Speaker 1: a new favorite surface?
Speaker 2: Could you imagine? I was the best court in the world.
Speaker 2: I would love it.
Speaker 3: I would be signing up every day of the week
Speaker 3: to play a Red Dust tournament. I would love for
Speaker 3: a lot of the international players to come and experience
Speaker 3: what we have in the last few days. The bounces
Speaker 3: aren't always kind, and it's I mean, you'd be changing
Speaker 3: your shoes quite regularly, but it is a lot of fun.
Speaker 3: It's a beautiful place, and it is so natural, and
Speaker 3: I just loved it.
Speaker 4: That's all for this special Ash Barty episode of The
Speaker 4: AO Show. For more coverage of Barty's trip to the
Speaker 4: Red Center and the reaction to her retirement, head to
Speaker 4: ozopen dot com. In the meantime, don't forget to subscribe,
Speaker 4: and if you like what you hear, please rate and
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