Evonne Goolagong and Steffi Graf saw it immediately after they first met her.
Ash Barty’s twinkle, rare racquet skills and variety, and above all, his steely resolve, determination, and temperament.
Cahill claims Barty was a successful 14-year-old when she was invited to Las Vegas by the adidas player development team as a guest to receive specialist tuition from Graf and her husband Andre Agassi, as well as Gil Reyes, the American’s legendary trainer.
Cahill, who helped guide Simona Halep, Simona Hewitt, and Agassi to world No.1, was still coaching American star at the time. Cahill vividly recalls Barty’s visit.
AAP was told by the super-coach from Australia that she was “brilliant back then for her years.”
“I had the opportunity to see her play and to see her handle pressure and expectations. You could tell right away that she would be a star if she continued down this path and put in the effort.
“There was no question about that.”
Graf was also taken aback at Barty’s smooth game at such an early age. More than a decade later, Graf still takes a keen interest in Australia’s tennis wonder.
Cahill stated that “She hit some balls together with Stef, and Stef was really impressed by her, and Stef is a talent-spotting machine.”
“So, she would often ask Ashleigh, many years later, how Ashleigh was doing and how she was progressing because she was such an excellent tennis player, had great hands, and played differently to a lot younger players back then.”
It is. Barty now plays differently to her competitors, but is also destroying them.
The country’s 44-year-old Australian Open singles title drought in Melbourne was broken by Saturday’s straight-sets win over Danielle Collins.
It would also confirm Barty’s dominance as champion since Graf, who won the title in 1989 with just 24 games to spare.
“She is the best she has ever been at this moment. “That’s what blows me mind every time,” Molik said to AAP.
She takes her game to new heights every time she plays well, like when she won the 2019 French Open or won Wimbledon.
It seems like it is every slam, every year.
Molik is not surprised by Barty’s growth and excellence. She first saw the prodigy at Glen Iris’ national junior claycourt titles more than a decade prior to that.
The Mastercard Ambassador said that she was 10 or 11 years old and could chip and drop shots and do a little bit of everything.
“I had the impression that she had grown up on grass, and I was not able to meet her. So, I was advised to go outside and observe her.
“She could do everything; one-handed volleys, chip backhands. Children aren’t always able to hit all of the shots they want.
“They didn’t always go in, but she had the repertoire.”
This is a huge repertoire. The sporting superstar even excelled in professional cricket while taking a 15 month hiatus from the game of tennis following the 2014 US Open.
The so-called next Martina Hingis was depressingly homesick, and she felt suffocating under crushing hopes. She packed everything and joined the Brisbane Heat.
Barty’s remarkable cross-code transition led to Andy Richards, Queensland women’s coach, claiming that the future tennis world No.1 could have easily been playing in Australia’s Ashes series alongside England’s Ellyse Perry or Meg Lanning rather than preparing for Saturday’s Open final.
“She could have played for Australia.” Richards said Friday that she was certain after witnessing the “freak club” of 39 balls and 27 balls during her WBBL debut in 2015.
“I have never seen anything quite like it and I doubt that I will ever again. She was amazing, she was a freak.
“She displayed the most remarkable transferable skills that I have ever seen.” Her hand-eye was extraordinary.”
Barty won the women’s A-grade championship at Brookwater Club in Brisbane where Garry Kissick, her fiance, was the trainee pro.
Barty said that her swing impressed Tiger Woods and was “not big deal”.
Louis Dobbelaar is a Queensland amateur champion and men’s club champion. He believes the 25-year old could have gone pro.
She has all the tools she needs to make it happen, if she chooses. Dobbelaar said that if she wanted to, she could do it if she set her mind,” Dobbelaar stated to AAP.
Barty is a tennis player.
Since she was three years old, she has been playing squash with a squash racquet in Brisbane.
“When I heard that (it), it reminded me about me,” Barty said. Goolagong was Barty’s mentor and idol. He learned tennis using a board made from an apple crate as a racquet instead of a racquet.
“She made me proud the first time I saw Ash.
“She was playing at The Australian Open, and Roger and I watched. We saw one point in which she displayed all her skills.
“She did the slice and the volley and the smash. We both looked at each other and realized that she was going to be our next champion.
“So, take a look at her now.”
