Published: June 23, 2019
Few players have reached the pinnacle of tennis by as circuitous a route as the Queenslander
Towards the end of May 2016 Ashleigh Barty signed up for the first qualifying round of the Eastbourne Trophy. The tournament was part of the ITF Women’s Circuit, the tier below the main WTA Tour, and the prize fund was just $50,000.
It was early in the grass court season. So early in fact that the red clay of Roland Garros was still dusting the soles of the game’s leading lights. Barty was unranked. She hadn’t played a competitive singles match in almost two years. This was a professional tennis experience so far off Broadway it was barely on a map.
Continue reading...from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2N4JdgV
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