World number one Ashleigh Barty announced her shock retirement from tennis at the age of just 25 on Wednesday, with the Australian stating that she wanted to "chase other dreams".
Although Barty has now stepped away from tennis for good, it is not the first time she has felt the need to take a break from the sport. Back in 2014, a teenage Barty announced she was taking a break from tennis having begun her professional career at the age of just 14.
During her time away from tennis, Barty began playing cricket after sharing a dinner with the Australian women's team ahead of the 2015 Ashes. The idea of competing in a team sport and spending less time away from home appealed to Barty and she ended up representing Queensland and Brisbane Heat in the inaugural edition of the Women's Big Bash League.
"I was still enjoying life. I had nothing to complain about," Barty said about her decision to take a break from tennis. "[But] I wanted to make sure I was all in or there’s no point doing it. It is tough when you’re by yourself and I think that’s why team sport is so appealing.
"There’s never a lonesome moment on the field if you’re struggling. There’s 10 other girls that can help you out and get you through the tough times."
Andy Richards, who was Barty's head coach with Queensland and Brisbane Heat, later said she picked up the sport very quickly and became "obsessed" with the training. "We had a chat and a coffee and went and hit some balls," he told the Guardian in 2019.
"She hit 150 balls and probably mistimed five or six. She had never played before. She fitted into the squad very quickly and easily. She was honest and open about her struggles.
"She got obsessed with the training and we would have to tell her she didn’t have to come in and hit balls everyday. She said: 'I just want to play a sport that has got a stick in it.' She is a freak."
On her Big Bash debut, Barty scored an impressive 39 from 27 balls against a Melbourne Stars side that included Australia captain Meg Lanning and England all-rounder Nat Sciver. Richards later stated that he felt she could have gone on to play for Australia, saying: "With another 12 months in the game, she wasn’t going to be far away."
Away from cricket, Barty remained involved with tennis as a coach and decided shortly after the end of the Big Bash to return to the sport. "When she quit, I never thought she would ever go back to tennis, I thought that was it," her father, Robert, told RN Breakfast in 2019.
"We never raised it, and one day we came home and there were four boxes of tennis balls on the front door step. And that was Ash going back to tennis."
Once she made her return, Barty enjoyed a remarkable rise to the top, winning her first Grand Slam title at the 2019 French Open. She then followed that up with triumphs at Wimbledon in 2021 and the 2022 Australian Open.
Barty later said that her time as a cricketer helped her rediscover her passion for tennis, saying: "It truly was an amazing period of my life. I met an amazing group of people who couldn't care less whether I could hit a tennis ball or not.
"They accepted me, and they got to know Ash Barty. They got to know me. I still have those relationships to this very day.
"The way they are accepting of someone new coming into their locker room, into their dressing room and into their sport was amazing. They are truly an incredible group of girls that I know I'll have a relationship with for the rest of my life and a friendship with for the rest of my life."
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