Wendy Turnbull would gladly relinquish her mantle to Ashleigh Barty as the last Australian woman to reach the final of her home Grand Slam.
A runner-up to Czech Hana Mandlikova on the grass at Kooyong in 1980, Turnbull said she found it difficult to comprehend the enormous expectations on her fellow Queenslander as the world No.1 at Melbourne Park.
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Should Barty navigate a way past American 14th seed Sofia Kenin in Thursday’s semifinal, she would stand just one win away from the $4.12 million prize cheque and a second Grand Slam trophy.
It would be a far cry from what was at stake when Turnbull took the court 40 years ago.
“I don’t have any trophy to show that I got to the final of the Australian Open singles,” Turnbull told AAP.
“Even for being runner-up at the Australian Open, I didn’t get a runner-up trophy like they do now.”
Turnbull, who was also the last Australian to reach the women’s semifinals in Melbourne 36 years ago, has flown from Brisbane to watch courtside as Barty’s campaign ramps up.
Should Barty win through to Saturday’s decider, Turnbull will be watching as her young compatriot attempts break an even longer drought – the first Australian woman since Chris O’Neil 42 years ago to win a singles final in Melbourne.
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“First of all we have to get her over the semifinal hurdle,” Turnbull said.
“I know when I played, the Prime Minister, Malcolm Fraser, was watching.
“So I was aware of that, but now it’s beamed worldwide.
“If she’s in the final, all of Australia will be watching and the crowd will go crazy.
“The thing is she has to remember is the other person is going to be just as nervous as she is – and that’s a good thing to remember.”
Former world No.4 Jelena Dokic – the last Australian woman before Barty to reach an Australian Open quarterfinal 11 years ago – said the top seed was juggling media and sponsorship commitments incredibly well as the hype of crowning a home champion mounted.
“What she’s done is amazing, just to win a Grand Slam and to be world No.1, but on top of that to continue to play as well as she has and to deal with that pressure, this is not easy being at home,” Dokic told ausopen.com.
“The fact she won Adelaide last week is huge because she hadn’t won a title at home in Australia, so that would have given her a lot of confidence.
“She didn’t start the summer playing incredibly well, but she’s only gotten better in Adelaide and here as well.”
Former world No.1 Mats Wilander experienced first-hand a soaring profile upon winning a Grand Slam.
The Swede won the third of his three Australian Open titles when the event switched venues and surface to the hard courts of what is now Melbourne Park in 1988.
While Barty was already relieved of the pressure of winning her first major having done so at Roland Garros last year, Wilander said he would be more surprised if she backed it up this fortnight with her newfound status.
“It won’t be an upset if she doesn’t win,” Wilander told ausopen.com. “It would be an unbelievable effort if she managed to win the Australian Open, because she’s at home. She has to put aside everything that comes along with being what she was just voted here [Young Australian of the Year].
“Ash Barty has to start from zero in every match, she has to solve the problem, which is the other player. And when you get this wave coming behind you, you kind of have to get off your surfboard, swim out and start again.
“The country doesn’t want that, they want her to keep going.”
Barty remains resolute in attempts to avoid all media reports to minimise the hype, but images of her splashed across trams and billboards across the city are impossible to ignore.
“I don't pay attention to it honestly,” Barty said. “I'm here to try and do the best that I can.
“Obviously it's exciting. Hopefully I can bring a smile to a few faces around our country and around the world.
“For me, it's trying to do the best that I can, find that enjoyment for myself and my team.”
Two more wins at the business end of a major is still a monumental peak to conquer.
One more and she would relieve Turnbull of her mark; two more, and O’Neil’s record would fall.
And with that, her profile would enter uncharted territory – a far cry from what was at stake for the champion at Kooyong 40 years ago.