Scott Morrison savaged over detail in message to Ash Barty
Scott Morrison has been brutally trolled online after sending a congratulatory message to Ash Barty following her shock decision to retire from tennis.
The Prime Minister was among the many to send messages of support to Barty on Wednesday after the Aussie star announced she's hanging up her racquet at age 25.
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Mr Morrison took to Twitter to praise Barty, writing: "Great to speak with Ash Barty today and simply say, ‘Thank you Ash’.
"Thank you for inspiring a nation. You are all class. Your achievements will be celebrated for all time.
"On behalf of all Australians, all the best to you and your fiancé Garry for your wedding and new life together."
While seemingly innocuous on the surface, many Australians took the opportunity to savage the Prime Minister.
ABC News reported on Wednesday afternoon that Barty hadn't actually picked up Mr Morrison's call and that he left her a voicemail.
Former Labor MP Cherly Kernot was among the many to point out that Mr Morrison claimed he spoke to Barty despite the reports he only left her a message.
"ABC News reported that she didn’t answer so you left a message?? Is that actually 'speaking' with her?? Slippery if true," Kernot tweeted.
@abcnews #afternoonbriefing reported that she didn’t answer so you left a message?? Is that actually “speaking” with her?? Slippery if true. https://t.co/ZWwYfjY7Qb
— Cheryl Kernot (@cheryl_kernot) March 23, 2022
Scott supposedly spoke with Shane Warne just before he died, and he also claimed to speak with Ash Barty earlier today.
If you leave a voicemail, you speak 'to' a person on the other end, not 'with' them.— Paul Begley (@yelgeb) March 23, 2022
There is nothing wrong with leaving a message. Why did he have to lie about it, as he does with so many things. He knew that he didn't speak with her, so why say that he did? No wonder he is the least trusted politician in the country.
— Richard Wright (@RichardKGrump) March 23, 2022
Scammo trying to make us think he spoke to Ash Barty and didn’t just leave a message 😂
— Still can't sleep 🌻💉💉💉 (@mangopavlova) March 23, 2022
Scott Morrison can’t even tell the truth about speaking to Ashleigh Barty. He left her a voicemail. He tweeted he spoke to her. He needs help ASAP. He’s a serial liar.
— Rick (@colonelhogans) March 23, 2022
Others accused the Prime Minister of trying to deflect the controversy surrounding him on a number of issues, while some wished he'd responded to the flood crisis as quickly as he responded to Barty's retirement.
It's all about you, isn't Scott? Always finding a way to piss into your own pocket. Shame on you, you pathetic, sad man. Call the fkn election and lets get this done, already.
— Battling Lefty (@murzo_4) March 23, 2022
Anything to say about your mate Brian Houston???https://t.co/WsichyeRS4
— Rupert's Conscience (@RupertsConscie1) March 23, 2022
There’s more than one photo of herhttps://t.co/6n2AbJvfa5
— 🦘🇦🇺🦠😷🧴 💉💉💉📉👊🥃 #AlboForPM (@justin81brown) March 23, 2022
Just reminding you where Lismore is. pic.twitter.com/aHLEMJicfA
— 🌻The Hon. Prole Hammyhamster (@Hammyhamster10) March 23, 2022
Wondered how long it would take you to get some mileage out of someone else’s announcement . Pity we can’t thank you for inspiring anyone or actually working for the country .
— suzanne hudgell (@HudgellSuzanne) March 23, 2022
Would have been nice to speak to flood victims with hours of event. Why special treatment for sport hero's, oh... Because you can tweet about it and pretend we aren't burning, flooding, in a pandemic and struggling
— RebornPersona (@RebornPersona) March 23, 2022
Ash Barty's shock retirement from tennis at 25
Barty hasn't played since winning the Australian Open in January and said she feels the time is right to go out on top.
"I know that I am spent, physically. I don't have anything more to give," she said in a video with Casey Dellacqua.
"I have given everything I can to this beautiful sport and I'm really happy with that. For me, that is my success."
Barty, who previously stepped away from tennis in 2014, said this time is different.
"I’m so happy and I’m so ready and I just know at the moment, in my heart for me as a person this is right," she added.
“I know I’ve done this before, but in a very different feeling.
"I’m so grateful to everything that tennis has given me. It’s given me all of my dreams, plus more.
"But I know the time is right now for me to step away and chase other dreams and to put the racquets down.”
Barty's farewell ranks as Australian sport's most unexpected retirement since Mark Ella - also then 25 - quit rugby union after captaining the Wallabies on their famous grand slam-winning tour of the UK in 1984.
Two weeks after winning the French Open in 2019, Barty became the first Australian woman to reach World No.1 since her mentor and Indigenous idol Evonne Goolagong Cawley 43 years earlier.
She followed that up with victory at the 2019 WTA Finals in Shenzhen, pocketing $6.4 million - the biggest cheque in tennis history.
Her crowning glory came last year at Wimbledon before Barty defied intense pressure and expectation from home fans to win the Australian Open in January.
with AAP
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