Ash Barty with the winners trophy at the 2019 French Open (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Tennis legend Ash Barty suffered a panic attack midway through the 2019 French Open before a simple two-word tactic led her to win the tournament, catapulting to World No. 1.
The defining moment was revealed by her former mindset coach, Ben Crowe, who took the stage at the Australasian Real Estate Conference (AREC) to share the strategy with an industry battling its own high-stakes pressures.
While international guests like celebrity agent Josh Altman hit the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre stage to preach a tactical “ready, fire, aim” approach to closing billion-dollar deals, Crowe offered a different strategy: stop focusing on outcomes.
Keynote speaker Ben Crowe at AREC 2026
MORE NEWS
From broke to billions: One agent’s path to the top
Aus rental crisis: Inside the $1400-a-week granny flat
Barty, who walked away from tennis as a burnt out 18-year-old to play professional cricket, was spiralling down a set in the Paris semi-final when she pulled out a piece of paper reading: “I decide”.
Crowe said Barty laughed, realising she controlled her own attitude, then broke her opponent’s serve to win six straight games.
The next day she won her first Grand Slam, and two weeks later she was World No. 1.
Crowe warned the audience of thousands of real estate agents against the “when/then” syndrome, or believing success comes only when a specific sales target is hit.
“It never works because the goalposts just keep moving,” he said. Instead, Crowe defined true success as aligning your daily life with your genuine values.
Barty (centre) was welcomed home at Pat Rafter Arena in Brisbane after being crowned World No. 1 in 2019
The Melbourne-based leadership coach was head of international sports marketing for Nike before building a career as a mentor for athletes including Barty and fellow tennis greats Andre Agassi and Dylan Alcott, surf champions Stephanie Gilmore and Molly Picklum, along with the Australian cricket team and Richmond AFL Club.
Crow also recalled how Andre Agassi overcame a brutal losing streak to Boris Becker’s explosive serve.
Agassi studied tapes and realised Becker’s tongue would stick out to indicate his serve direction. Tapping into “spontaneous play,” Agassi used the tell to win 10 of their next 11 matches, only revealing his quirky hack to his opponent after retiring.
AREC founder John McGrath said the two-day event was designed to help the industry step back and reflect.
AREC founder John McGrath at the Gold Coast event
Help us improve your reading experience
Got a minute? Your feedback will help us build a better experience for you.
Help us improve this page
English (US) · 