Casey Dellacqua’s career representing Australia was something of a rollercoaster.
Exciting, watchable, and packed with twists, turns, ebbs and flows.
From her days playing for Grand Slam titles to life post-retirement, Dellacqua is a celebrated figure in Australian tennis. Her on-court achievements, commentary insights and humility in the face of victory pit her a favourite among Australian tennis fans.
On this week’s episode of The Sit-Down, Dellacqua reminisces on her time representing Australia and her friendship with former world No.1 women’s singles player Ash Barty.
“I am so grateful for my friendship with Ash,” said Dellacqua. “We are just good friends, and I think that translated onto the court in the way that we played our doubles as well.”
The 2013 season saw the dynamic duo partner up and advance to finals in three Grand Slam events that year. “We’re an Aussie pair and we’d just made three Grand Slam doubles finals and she’s so young. So, yeah, it was a pretty special year, 2013. And to do that with Ash by my side was pretty cool.”
Dellacqua and Barty’s friendship transcended the court, lasting well beyond their doubles partnership, with Barty even announcing her retirement from the sport in 2022 with Dellacqua standing by her side.
Still riding the high from 2013, the following year saw Dellacqua play her best tennis as a singles player, cracking the top 30 in singles with final-16 performances at the Australian Open and US Open in 2014.
“I had a great year and singles and there's no doubt that playing all of that, having that double success and just building and building, coming back from a couple of years out with injuries, I felt like it was coming.”
Dellacqua credits her coach at the time, Shannon “Stinger” Nettle, as a huge factor to her singles success. “I felt like we just formed this team where I just knew that he was going to be able to get the best out of me,” said Dellacqua. “I think that really helped me through [to] play some of the best singles I've ever played in my life, which was incredible.”
Following an extraordinary career riding the highs and lows of a professional athlete, from wins to losses, injury and recovery, Dellacqua’s love for the sport remains unwavering.
“I think tennis for me has been my first love, my first passion. I've lived and breathed it … my world was tennis, so I can't imagine tennis never being a part of my life. And yeah, I'm just so grateful now that I found opportunities in a life where I get to still work in tennis and do what I love.”
Since retiring, Dellacqua has pursued a career in tennis commentary and Player Relations, as well as empowering women and girls on and off the court through her role in Tennis Australia’s Women & Girls Strategy.
“Getting more of our women and girls involved has been the biggest highlight for me,” Dellacqua beamed. “Just seeing them grow in confidence has been extraordinary.”
Listen to the full episode of The Sit-Down, a weekly podcast released each Monday featuring an in-depth interview with a notable tennis identity. Subscribe to The Sit-Down in your favourite podcast player.