Ashleigh Barty Reveals Why She Quit Tennis to Play Cricket

Current world number 1 Ashleigh Barty will not be competing in the upcoming US Open due to the coronavirus pandemic. While speaking to ABC News, she reveals why she took an 18 month long hiatus from tennis to take up cricket.

Her love for tennis dates back to the early years of her life. With her skills on the court, she gained popularity in Australia as well as abroad. Then, Barty won her junior Wimbledon title in 2011 when she was 15 years old. The “too fast and too soon” success overwhelmed the young star, and she felt “lost.”

“I lost my way a little”– Ashleigh Barty

The rise to the top exhausted her to an extent where she was forced to take a hiatus from the sport, taking up semi-professional cricket with Brisbane Heat.

“I felt like I got twisted and maybe a little bit lost along the way in the first part of my career.

“I was very lucky to have a lot of success, but I’m still very much a homebody and I kind of lost my way a little bit with not being able to connect with my family. We didn’t lose that love or that care, but I felt like there was a bit of a split. I wanted to come back to that. I wanted to come back to my family and those who love me the most.

Her stint in cricket was fruitful and she admitted to getting a different perspective.

“I met a lot of different people in cricket who had a different upbringing and a different perspective about sport.”

The hiatus rekindled her love for tennis all over, leading her to return to the court. Within three years, she’d won the French Open.

Her goal is to win Wimbledon. She already has had a taste of it with the Junior title. Unfortunately, the Number 1 could not complete her objective this year because of the cancelation.

Even though there is a lot of unpredictability in sports, Barty is hopeful things will change for the better, and “there is more to life than hitting a tennis ball.“