Ash Barty's archetypal circular triumph astatine the Australian Open near erstwhile prima turned Nine commentator Jelena Dokic holding backmost tears arsenic she paid tribute to the satellite No.1.
Barty kick-started her 2021 Australian Open run with a comfy triumph implicit Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko successful consecutive sets, 6-0, 6-1 astatine Rod Laver Arena.
LIVE UPDATES: Australian Open time 1
READ MORE: England greats enactment up to instrumentality shots astatine players implicit humiliation
READ MORE: Pat Cummins' classy Khawaja motion during celebrations
After the match, Dokic was connected tribunal to interrogation Barty and started by congratulating her connected past year's Grand Slam triumph astatine Wimbledon erstwhile she was flooded with emotion.
The assemblage cheered arsenic Dokic, a erstwhile satellite No.4, choked backmost tears portion addressing Barty's success.
"I privation to congratulate you connected your Wimbledon win, I talk for everyone here, everyone successful Australia and astir the world, peculiarly myself - convey you. You gave america truthful overmuch joyousness past year," Dokic said.
"You made america truthful proud... I'm getting goosebumps.
"I conscionable privation to hug you but I can't.
"There are nary words to picture what you person done, convey you for that."
Barty became the archetypal Australian pistillate to triumph Wimbledon since her idol Evonne Goolagong-Cawley, who archetypal won the rubric precisely 50 years earlier.
"This is beautiful," the satellite No.1 told Dokic.
"I've said it a fewer times, it's felt similar an eternity since I person been backmost connected this beauteous tribunal (Rod Laver Arena) and past twelvemonth was conscionable incredible, evidently highlighted by Wimbledon.
"It was a imagination of excavation and I was highly fortunate that it came through."
Barty volition look Italian Lucia Bronzetti successful the 2nd round.
Australian Open time 1 successful pictures: Fans marque airy of Novak Djokovic absence
For a regular dose of the champion of the breaking quality and exclusive contented from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!
English (US) ·