'I thought that was it': why Ash Barty almost gave up tennis for good

Media attention, pressure, depression - Barty went through it all, and it took a stint with cricket to set things right

The satellite city emerges from a forest of eucalyptus. Large brick houses sit on well-tended blocks of land, where boats and motor homes loiter in the driveways. The shrieks of small children flying down the footpaths on bikes are the only sound in this quiet, comfortable suburban setting. Springfield, south-west of Brisbane, is Australia’s first privately built city, and the country’s largest master-planned community.

This carefully organised, middle-class world of family homes is where Ashleigh Barty grew up in warm winter sun, surrounded by straggly Australian bush. And it’s where tennis’s golden girl – now just one win away from becoming world No 1 – still lives, five minutes from her parents.

We didn’t realise how much she didn’t like the attention and the limelight

Related: Ashleigh Barty: a humble and hugely popular grand slam champion | Simon Cambers

Related: Ashleigh Barty sorry she had to reject Andy Murray’s Wimbledon offer

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from Cricket | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2X0Oztf
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