Ashleigh Barty honoured on the Queen's Birthday Honours List
WTA
Ashleigh Barty was named an Order (AO) of Australia in Sunday's Queen's Birthday Honours List, joining a long list of outstanding athletes across many sports.
It has been over two months since Barty shocked the sporting world by announcing her retirement from the sport. The Australian was the world No. 1 at the time and also won the Australian Open at the start of the year.
Barty's triumph in Melbourne was her third Grand Slam title. Her others came at the 2019 French Open and the 2021 Wimbledon championships. Winning at SW19 had been Barty's dream since she was a kid.
Barty admitted that achieving her childhood dream of claiming the women's singles title at Wimbledon led to a drop in her motivation. She seems happy with her decision to retire, which is the most important thing.
The 26-year-old's retirement has not stopped her from being recognized for her outstanding tennis achievements. Her inclusion on the Queen's Birthday Honours List represents how respected she is worldwide.
After the recognition, Barty spoke about how proud she is of being Australian and how she tries to uphold values that she feels are essential to her and her country.
"I'm a very proud Australian and representing my country to the best of my ability has always been my priority. On a personal level, I always try to uphold Australian values - being humble, respectful, kind and caring for others."
Barty is one of many Australian athletes who have received the honor. The cricketers Shane Warne, Meg Lanning, Doug Walters, and the golfer Adam Scott were also honored in the same manner for their respective achievements.
All those sportspeople fully deserve recognition. However, the mark Barty managed to leave during such a short career is remarkable. Her achievements in the sport will never be forgotten.
