Barty, 25, announces retirement

Barty’s last tournament was the Australian Open and she won the title at home

Photo: Archive

Melbourne, Australia) – In a completely surprising situation, world number one Ashleigh Barty, 25, reported early Wednesday morning in Australia, Tuesday night Brasilia time, that she had decided to retire from the ring.

In a video posted on Instagram, she says, “I’m happy, I’m ready, and I think it’s time to leave the ring and pursue new dreams.” She asked her friend, former professional and now TV commentator Casey Dellacqua to help her with this challenging task and record a six-minute statement (see below).

“There is no right or wrong way to do it, it is just half the way. I am so grateful for everything tennis has done for me. Wimbledon was my dream and it changed my perspective as an athlete and as a person. But I still wasn’t completely satisfied. Winning the Australian Open completed everything Something and feels like the right way to celebrate this wonderful journey.”

When asked why she’s retiring now, she replied, “Success for me is knowing that I’m doing everything I can, that I’m happy, and that I know how much work it takes. But I feel like I don’t have that energy anymore. I know many won’t understand my decision, but As a person I have other goals not necessarily traveling the world, being away from home and family. I still love tennis.”

Also a Roland Garros champion at 2019 and Wimbledon last year, Barty led the women’s rankings for 120 weeks, the last 113 consecutive weeks since September 9, 2019. She has held the seventh longest stint at the top of the rankings. She had recently announced that she would not be traveling to the United States to compete in the Indian Wells and Miami WTA 1000.

In his professional career, Barty won 15 singles titles on the WTA circuit. He also had a notable career in doubles, with twelve hits and fifth place in the standings. On the way, he won the US Open 2018, along with American Coco Vandeweghe. Last year, he also won an Olympic bronze medal in mixed doubles in Tokyo, along with John Pearce.

Throughout her career, she has amassed a prize pool of over US$23.8 million, making her the 14th highest-earning player in the ring. It’s also her biggest paid award in a single tournament. The Australian won $4.4 million for the 2019 WTA Finals title in Shenzhen, China, a record for professional tennis considering the prize pool between men and women.

Talk to Barty Brazil Tennis Twice last year, during the Stuttgart and Cincinnati championships. The first time, she commented on the difficult choice of calendar that forced her to do so Traveling for about eight months, without returning home or even establishing a training base due to the strict control of the epidemic that is taking place in Australia. This season, he has already been showing signs that he will not repeat the strategy.

In the second interview, the native tennis player spoke about her social work in Promoting tennis in Indigenous Australian communities. She has repeatedly expressed pride in her origins and admiration for fellow countrywoman Yvonne Gulagong. When she was the Wimbledon champion, she wore a dress reminiscent of the model she used as her biggest inspiration in the sport.

The Women’s Association (WTA) also released a brief statement on its social media wishing the tennis player a successful future.

For every young girl who looked at you.

Each of us has an inspiration.

For your love of the game.

Thank you, Tweet embed For the wonderful mark you left on and off the field and in our hearts pic.twitter.com/6wp9fmO439

– WTA (WTA) March 23, 2022