25 January 2022 | Tennis Queensland

Queenslander and World No. 1, Ash Barty kicks off her Australian Open finals campaign this week, with a Quarterfinals showdown against American World No. 21 Jessica Pegula on Rod Laver Arena tonight.

With Grand Slam wins at Roland Garros (2019) and most recently Wimbledon (2021), her home Slam is the next challenge for the Ipswich local.

Queenslanders are rallying together, backing Ash into the finals with #WeBackBarty the affectionate tag behind a swell of local support.

“Ash has inspired a new generation of tennis players and continues to be a shining star for our state, while staying true to her values” says Tennis Queensland General Manager, Elia Hill.

With recent AusPlay data reporting 1.5 million Aussies, including 1.2 million adults and 300,000 chil­dren­, picking up a racquet throughout the latest reporting period, tennis is the fastest-growing sport across all ages. Out-performing 15 other activities and sports, including AFL, basketball, and soccer.

“The latest AusPlay data provides us with a really strong indication as to the health of Aussie tennis and provides us with the perfect platform to engage our grassroots audience further,” Tennis Australia Chief Tennis Officer Tom Larner said.

General Manager of TennisGear, Gareth Keating says, “We have seen an explosion in tennis participation over the past two years, largely from the success of Ash. Within 14 hours of Ash’s historic Wimbledon win, we had 56 girls join up for free Hot Shots lessons for the month of July. A massive response from the community.”

To celebrate the 2022 Australian Open Finals, TennisGear are holding FREE ‘Live on the Lawn’ sessions from the 28^th-30^th  January.

EVENT DETAILS | Live on the Lawn

Join in the tennis festivities at your local club or on socials #WeBackBarty.