World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty is through to the final round in the Australian Open 2022. However, it is Serena Williams, who, in a way, set Barty on her current path towards Grand Slam success.

After defeating semi-finalist Madison Keys in the semi-final, she will now face Danielle Collins in the final round. However, the 25-year-old had retired from tennis in 2014 as a junior.

Her former coach, Jim Joyce, shares how it was none other than tennis megastar Serena Williams who inspired Ashleigh Barty to return to the sport.

A text from Serena Williams brought Ashleigh Barty back to tennis

In 2014, Ashleigh Barty had walked away from what was a promising tennis career, citing burnout. This news had come as a shock, especially since she had won the junior Wimbledon title the same year.

In fact, Barty had even dabbled in a career in cricket after her retirement from tennis. Moreover, she then settled down as a coach for children, teaching kids tennis alongside her former coach Jim Joyce.

Joyce has never fully agreed to Barty’s retirement, calling it “the greatest waste Australian tennis has ever seen”. However, he never deemed it his place to have a say in the matter.

Nevertheless, his hopes of seeing Barty return to the tennis court came true with a simple text from 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams. Joyce described how Barty had received a text from Williams in 2015.

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Joyce also shared what Serena Williams wrote to Barty. “You are too good a player to retire,” read Serena’s message to Ashleigh Barty. “You have to come back,” she had written, thus prompting Barty’s return to the slopes. [h/t dailymail.co.uk]

Barty has a chance of creating history

Ashleigh Barty will now face American World No. 30 Danielle Collins in the final of the Australian Open 2022.

In their head-to-head history, Barty has prevailed 3 out of the 4 times that the two have met. However, their last encounter was in Australia in 2021, where it was Danielle Collins who had come out on top.

Moreover, Collins is also the last person to have defeated Barty in Australia, at the Adelaide 500 tournament. On the other hand, Barty could make history by becoming the first Australian woman to win the Australian Open since 1978, when Christine O’Neil achieved the feat.

Thus, Barty stands one match away from ending a 44-year drought for an Australian woman to lift the Australian Open trophy.

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