Wimbledon
Ashleigh Barty will wear a special dress when she plays on Centre Court on Tuesday in tribute to her fellow indigenous Australian Evonne Goolagong Cawley 50 years after she won her first Wimbledon title.
Barty said she had asked Cawley if she was okay with her drawing inspiration from the 1971 Wimbledon and French Open champion’s “iconic scallop dress”.
Barty said she hoped her dress will have a similar impact on the “next generation of indigenous youth” as Cawley’s had had on hers.
“It’s a really special anniversary for a lot of Australians, but for indigenous Australians in particular,” said Barty of the 50th anniversary of Cawley’s triumph.
“I think this is a really special one. For me to be able to wear an outfit inspired by Evonne’s iconic scallop dress is really amazing.
“I wanted to make sure she was okay with it. “Before we had put in the process of creating my version of her iconic dress, I wanted to make sure she was okay. Called her and asked her. “She was really excited.”
Barty — the world number one — has emulated Cawley in winning the French Open (2019) but her record at Wimbledon has not yielded terrific results thus far.
However, she says Cawley is such an inspiring person her achievements makes people feel they too can turn their dreams into reality.—AP
