“She's in the infancy of her career!”

Australia had in Ashleigh Barty the player who once again put the southern hemisphere nation at the forefront of women's tennis. World leader, champion at Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledonvictorious at the Tournament of Champions, but Ash retired early and surprisingly from the activity. Two months after he won in Melbourne in 2022.

Now, the attention turned more and more obviously to the young woman Maya Jointwho in 2025 was in his debut season in the WTA circuit. One that she has already honored with two trophies in WTA 250 category tournaments. In Rabat, on clay, she prevailed in the final with Jaqueline Cristian, and in Eastbourne, on grass, she was superior to another young woman, Filipina Alexandra Eala.

Joint is the highest-ranked Australian player, ranked 32nd in the world, and the world is already talking about the Australian Open seeding.

Barty, however, nuanced Maya's situation, stressing that there must be support, but also patience. “I've spent some time with her on the court and what's been great about this year is that I've seen her grow in confidence, ability and consistency throughout the season.,” said the three-time Grand Slam champion in a chat with AAP.

“He had a really good start in the summer and then won two titles and did a good job in some tough tournaments in difficult conditions,” she added.

Maya Joint with the trophy from Eastbourne Photo: Imago Images

Ashleigh Barty: 'It was only her first full season on the circuit'

“Next year will present a new challenge for her. Maya is a lovely girl who works hard and it's great to see young women putting in the effort in training, it's something you don't see every day – and if they're getting paid for their work it's because they deserve it”, emphasized Barty, who has since become the mother of a boy, Hayden, and a girl, Jordan.

The question is how Joint – and other young players – will handle the pressure. “She is in the infancy of her career. This was only her first full season on the circuitAsh pointed out.She needs to get more comfortable with it and stay consistent, that's her new challenge“, said the former world leader, who personally experienced the weight of expectations. That's why he took a break from tennis between September 2014 and February 2016.

“Whether it's the Grand Slams or any other tournament, the important thing is to go on court and give your best in every match and, with a bit of luck, be able to qualify for the Grand Slams and experience what it's like to get to the second week and move on, because that's really great,” advises Ashleigh Barty.

Ashleigh Barty with the Australian Open trophy Photo: Guliver/Getty Images

The biggest expectations will be when he plays in Australia, something Bartyelsewhere of Nick Kyrgios, Alex De Minaur, Thanasi Kokkinakis have felt to the full in recent years.

“My advice is to embrace this situation, the public support, the warmth. There's nothing like playing at home in January. When I accepted all the context, that's when I played my best” concluded Ash. She captured the title in 2022 after a final with Danielle Collins, ending a drought dating back to 1978 when Chris O'Neill was most recently crowned champion.