Ash Barty is a household name when it comes to tennis. While her sporting accomplishments are very inspiring, it is her messages of encouragement to young girls to pursue their interests despite societal pressures which make her our Woman of the Month.
Sport Australia Aus Play found that by the age of 18, one in three girls will drop out of sport. Why? Mostly due to peer pressure and body image issues which lead girls to believe they “can’t” play sport. So, who better than Ash, the world number one women’s tennis player, to encourage girls to continue playing sport?
In her campaign with Tennis Australia, Ash encourages girls to play sports for their own benefit and not worry about how good they are or how they look. She speaks authentically about her own experiences and situations where she has also tackled many of the challenges young girls face today, such as being told she was “too short” to play.
Challenging the status quo is never easy, but Ash is the perfect role model since she is an unconventional champion who displayed the courage to do it her own way. It is her personal encounters and genuine care about keeping girls active and enjoying sport which make her an aspiration.
An important point that Ash stresses is you don’t have to be a professional athlete to experience all the gifts that sport provides. This humility and positivity can be seen in all of Ash’s matches and is just another reason why we love her. Recently, Ash has been named Young Australian of the Year for 2020 for her passion and positivity on and off the court.
We can’t wait to see what she achieves next and will be supporting her from the sidelines!
