Ashleigh Barty has been rare in the media since the famous month of March 2022 when she decided to draw a line under her career at only 25 years old.
But when the media News Corp asked her to speak about Rafael Nadal, recently retired, the Australian wanted to pay him a very nice tribute.
“I love Rafa. What I liked the most was Rafa as a human being. I played my first Australian Open when I was 15, I walked past him in the hallway and he said hello to me. I was an upset kid. He couldn't have been nicer. We shared great successes and we have these memories, but I liked the way Rafa retired. He wanted to represent Spain as part of a team. It was my dream. I wanted to retire representing Australia in a Fed Cup match in Brisbane, which didn't happen. I know that feeling of celebrating your career with the people you love. He and his team have always been very kind to us. They offered to help us and during Covid, when Australia was going through a tough time, his uncle Toni contacted us and said, 'If you want to come and train, there is space at our academy and we can set this up without any problem'. We are always very grateful to them. »
Published on Tuesday December 3, 2024 at 5:09 p.m.
