SYDNEY, Nov. 27 (Xinhua) -- Australian tennis young guns, Ashleigh Barty and Alex de Minaur were announced as joint winners of the Newcombe Medal at the annual awards ceremony on Monday night, recognising their outstanding achievements in the sport over the past year.
22-year-old Barty is one of the very few female players in the world to be ranked in the top 20 in both singles and doubles after winning her first Grand Slam at the 2018 U.S. Open doubles competition.
"It truly is amazing to be standing up here again," Barty said, giving special thanks to her coach Craig Tyzzer.
"He's the most phenomenal person -- he's not only improved my game on the court, but he's helped me become a better person."
Co-awarded, De Minaur skyrocketed in the global rankings this year from outside the top 200 to No. 31 after reaching the third round of both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.
The 19-year-old congratulated Barty, joking that he would not want to let her down if they ever played mixed doubles.
"I want to congratulate Ash again on another amazing year. What she has done is just truly remarkable, not only on court but off the court as well," De Minaur said.
Since first being awarded in 2010, the Newcombe medal has gone to some of Australian tennis' biggest names, including Samantha Stosur, Lleyton Hewitt and Bernard Tomic.
