Ashleigh Barty, the winner of the Australian Open girls’s singles title in January, has been conferred with The Don Award, Australia’s most prestigious annual sports activities award. The award is known as after the nation’s legendary cricketer Don Bradman.
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Barty left the tennis world shocked in March when she introduced her retirement on the age of 25. The triple Grand Slam winner was ranked No. 1 in girls’s singles on the time of her retirement.
The Don Award, given by the Sport Australia Hall of Fame, is bestowed on an athlete or a staff “which has provided the most inspiration to the country through performance and example in the past year.”
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This is the second time Barty has received the coveted award since 2019. Apart from her, Olympic gold medal-winning hurdler Sally Pearson (2012, 2014) and Olympic champion pole vaulter Steve Hooker (2008, 2009) received the award twice.
In July, Barty acquired married to her long-time companion Garry Kissick. She now performs golf continuously. Before taking part in tennis, she additionally plied her commerce in cricket for Brisbane Heat Women.