Ash Barty might not swing the racquet anymore, however the three-time main singles champion is in line so as to add to her unbelievable record of achievements.
The 26-year-old is chasing a fifth-straight Newcombe Medal after she was one in all a report seven nominees for essentially the most prestigious Australian tennis award.
Fresh from serving to Australia attain the Davis Cup remaining, Alex de Minaur has additionally been nominated together with Matt Ebden, Storm Hunter, Nick Kyrgios, Max Purcell and Ajla Tomljanovic, who reached the quarters at Wimbledon and the US Open.
Barty, the previous world No.1, shared the award with Dylan Alcott final 12 months and likewise received it in 2019, 2018, and 2017, with the awards not held in 2020 as a result of Covid-19 pandemic.
Her shock retirement again in March means she’s solely performed a few occasions in 2022, however they had been all high quality, with Barty successful all 11 of her singles matches within the Australian summer time.
The spotlight was her breakthrough win on the Australian Open the place she turned the primary native lady to win the grand slam in 44 years.
“It’s an honour to be nominated for the Newcombe Medal this year,” she mentioned.
“Winning the Australian Open in January is something I’m very proud of and ended up being an incredible way to finish my tennis career.
“Being able to win in front of my family, friends and the Aussie fans is something I will never forget. I’m so grateful for the support I have received throughout my career and hope I can now contribute to the Australian tennis community in other ways.”
Kyrgios, who’s Australia’s top-ranked male at twenty second on the earth, has been nominated for the primary time in 5 years after his unbelievable season. He received the Australian Open doubles title and attain the Wimbledon remaining the place he misplaced to Novak Djokovic in 4 units.
“Wimbledon was a highlight this year. There were some really memorable matches,” mentioned Kyrgios, who received the Newcombe Medal again in 2014.
“I think I learned a lot about myself and really developed as a person. I was playing great tennis but even more than that, I made huge strides mentally.”
De Minaur is simply two spots behind Kyrgios and is wanting so as to add to the Newcombe Medal he shared with Barty in 2018 after a career-best 12 months on tour through which he beat seven top-20 gamers.
“2022 has been a memorable year. A year in which I’ve won the most matches I have on tour. I’ve played a lot of great tennis throughout the whole year and more importantly, I’ve stayed healthy,” he mentioned.
“If I had to choose one moment, I think it would probably have to be either winning my sixth title in Atlanta or making the final at Davis Cup at the end of the year and getting very close to lifting a Davis Cup title.
“It’s been such an amazing year for Australian tennis and I’m just happy to be a small part of it. Ultimately, it’s great to see such a proud and rich in history nation playing some great tennis and pushing the limits on the world tour.”
The 2022 Australian Tennis Awards will probably be held in Melbourne on December 12.
