Australian tennis player Ashleigh Barty dropped major news on social media on Tuesday: the world’s top-ranked player is retiring from the sport
The 25-year-old shared the announcement in an Instagram video in which her former doubles partner Casey Dellacqua interviews her about her decision.
“I’ll be retiring from tennis,” Barty said. “It’s the first time I’ve actually said it out loud. It’s hard to say, but I’m so happy and I’m so ready. I just know at the moment in my heart, for me as a person, this is right.”
Barty finishes her nearly 12-year career with 15 titles in singles and three Grand Slam titles.
“I’m so grateful to everything that tennis has given me,” she said. “It’s given me all of my dreams plus more, but I know that the time is right now for me to step away and to chase other dreams and to put the rackets down.”
Barty noted that she started to feel a shift in her path after she won Wimbledon last summer. It was always her dream to win the grass court Grand Slam, and once that was accomplished, she was losing the drive to keep competing. That title gave Barty her second singles Grand Slam, including the 2019 French Open title, and her third overall, including the 2018 U.S. Open doubles title while partnering with American player CoCo Vandeweghe. But, she felt like something was still missing: Winning on her home court at the Australian Open.
Barty ended up winning the Australian Open in January, which ended a 44-year drought of Australian winners.
“There was just a little part of me that wasn’t quite satisfied, wasn’t quite fulfilled, and then came the challenge of the Australian Open,” Barty said. “I think that for me feels like the most perfect way, my perfect way, to celebrate what an amazing journey my tennis career has been. As a person, this is what I want. I want to chase after some other dreams that I’ve always wanted to do.”
Without the “physical drive and emotional want” to continue competing at the top level of tennis, Barty felt like this was the perfect time to step away from tennis. She noted that tennis will always be a big part of her life as she sets to focus more on herself as a person and not just an athlete.
“I am spent,” Barty said. “I just know physically, I have nothing more to give. That for me, is success. I’ve given absolutely everything I can to this beautiful sport of tennis.”
