Ash Barty spent her final hours of 2019 not on court, but where her second passion lies, with animals.
On a visit at RSPCA Wacol, the world No.1 took some time to visit the hospital’s patients affected by the bushfires.
It’s the second time the 23-year-old has visited the centre in the past month, making it her first pitstop when she returned home after winning the WTA Finals in November.
“Being an ambassador for the RSPCA is something very close to my heart,” Barty said.
“In my off-season it was one of the first things Gary [Kissick] and I did was come down here and visit the animals and with all the bushfires going on around the country it’s been totally devastating for all the people, but also for all the animals.”
The bushfire crisis has been making headlines around the world, and Barty was determined to add weight to promoting the work of organisations such as the RSPCA.
“I think the work the RSPCA do in trying to help as many animals as possible is incredible. It’s just been nice to come back down and see how they’ve gone over the last five to six weeks while I’ve been training.”
With a first-round bye, Barty will take to the courts at her training ground on either Wednesday or Thursday next week.
In the meantime, she has reflected on her incredible 2019, and was right until the year’s dying hours.
“It’s been an incredible year for me on the court just hanging on to these last few hours of today just trying to soak it up these last few hours, looking forward to starting 2020,” she said.
Barty insists being world No.1 is just the start, and there’s more to come for her and her team in 2020.
“There are a lot of pieces in my puzzle I want to try and add, and first and foremost I want to stay healthy this year in particular, be happy, enjoy my tennis and see what results come our way,” she said.
“I think the Brisbane International is important, there’s no looking forward to Adelaide or the Australian Open for me it’s all about Brisbane and trying to put my best foot forward this week.”
The Ipswich local batted off any suggestion that having a No.1 next to her name comes with added pressure, particularly in front of a home crowd, instead saying it’s a position and environment she will thrive in.
“No pressure at all,” she said. “Yes for myself and my team we’ve had some incredible results but we’ve worked damn hard to get those results and it’s been a reward for all of us, and like I’ve said there’s still a few things we’d like to tick off and it’s about setting goals for 2020.
“I get so much crowd support, I’m so lucky to get so much support from people all around the nation and I can’t wait to get out there and do the best I can.”