Despite retiring from the sport in March, Ngarigo champion Ash Barty has claimed her fifth straight Newcombe medal, the highest honour in Australian tennis, after her drought-breaking Australian Open victory earlier this year.

At the Australian Tennis Awards in Melbourne on Tuesday, the 26-year-old took home the award, named after tennis legend John Newcombe, edging-out fellow stars Nick Kyrgios and Ajla Tomljanović.

It follows similar triumphs in 2017, 2018 (tied with Alex de Minaur), 2019 and 2021 (tied with Dylan Alcott).

The 2020 award was suspended due to COVID-19.

In January, Barty became the first Australian woman in 44 years to lift the Australian Open trophy, the culmination of an undefeated summer on the court.

It backs up her Don Award victory on December 8, the foremost honour handed out to athletes by the Australian Sporting Hall of Fame.

"This has obviously been a very big year in my career and in my life," Barty said.

"We've had exceptional change, we've had an amazing year of celebrating a journey of not only myself, but my team, and there is so much to be proud of.

"I stand here very proudly knowing that I absolutely fulfilled every ounce that I could to this beautiful sport that brought me so much more than I could have ever dreamt.

"There are so many people behind the scenes that help me and allowed me to live out my dream and to discover what it felt like to work hard and really chase after something you love."

Earlier in the evening Evonne Goolagong Cawley received the Spirit of Tennis Award, Barty presenting her the honour in a return of favour from when Goolagong handed her the Australian Open in January.

"This certainly was a real surprise," Goolagong Cawley said.

"Particularly coming from a really wonderful friend of mine.

"She wasn't just a great tennis player, she's a great person on and off the court and I'll love her forever."

The award recognises the person displaying great passion and goodwill for the sport.

In concert with this, the 14-time Grand Slam winner thanked those who gave her the opportunity to make it to the top of the game.

"This game of tennis has given me so much in my life," Goolagong Cawley said.

"It's all because of the townspeople of Barellan. They saw me hitting against a wall every day and they decided to help me.

"I wouldn't be standing here unless I didn't have that original support. That support has really taken me all over the world."

Her Goolagong Foundation continues to run development camps for Indigenous children across the country.