Sometimes coming in second best doesn’t actually mean you didn’t win, in fact Casey Dellacqua and Ashley Barty were winners today in Paris. They fought valiantly in the Roland Garros doubles final today, where they were out played by the number one seeds Lucie Safarova and Bethany Mattek Sands, the final score being 6/2 6/1. It many not be the crowning glory these best of friends and Fed Cup team mates were looking for but they are a remarkable partnership none the less.
The pair who have now been runners-up at all four grand slams are also the first Aussie partners in 48 years to make the doubles final at Roland Garros.
The pair only returned to the pro tour together in Brisbane earlier this year, losing a heart breaking match to Spears and Srebotnik 7-6(5) 2-6 [17-19], it wasn’t long before the magic of #ABCD returned. They captured the title in Malaysia and last week took out the French open warm up in Strasbourg.
For Dellacqua it was third finals appearance in Paris the other two appearances being 2008 championship decider with Italian Francesca Schiavone and the 2015 final with Kazakh Yaroslava Shvedova.
Though the loss today will be a painful for both girls, for Barty it’s yet another reminder that returning to tennis was one of the best decisions she has ever made.
Remarkably, the Aussies have very quickly found the form that already sees them contesting Grand Slam finals, it comes after Barty took a two-year sabbatical and sporting switch to cricket and Dellacqua was cruelly sidelined yet again in her career, this time after a serious concussion.
On October 4, 2016 Casey shared the video of her accident on Facebook adding “The fall and the aftermath of the fall resulted in some of the toughest days I’ve had to overcome”
Her long time trainer a close personal friend Giselle Martin said, “During these challenging times of frustration, self doubt and the unknown, Casey’s true colours shown through. Her resilience and belief grew and with the support of those around her she fought her way back. Back on court, but importantly back into her life!”
“The fall and the aftermath of the fall resulted in some of the toughest days I’ve had to overcome” – Casey Dellacqua October 2016
It was late in 2016 when Martin got the phone call she always hoped she would receive. On the phone to WTCA founder Sarah Stone at the time, Giselle said, “hold on I’m going to have to call you back, that’s Casey on the other line”, Stone replied, “I hope she is calling you to tell you she is making a come back, we just talked about it last week when I was at her house in Sydney.”
That was exactly what it was, and it has already been an incredibly successful return to professional tennis for Dellacqua. The players and inner tennis would will tell you that you will never meet a nicer girl. Casey is a true champion who has always remained humble and true to herself!
In tennis and in life the chips don’t always go your way but its incredibly important to always celebrate the small victories. For Barty and Dellacqua just being back out on the court is a victory in itself and something neither player would have thought possible only 12 months ago. Will it be Wimbledon where the pair secures that elusive Grand Slam crown? Who knows, but one thing is for sure, you would not find two more deserving champions. We wish them the very best of lucky for the remainder of the season as maybe the best is yet to come.