Why Did Ashleigh Barty Retire So Early From Tennis?

World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty early this morning took the world to shock. The 25-year-old, who won the 2022 Australian Open title, today announced a sudden retirement from tennis, that too, with immediate effect. The announcement came in the form of an Instagram interview, with Ashleigh’s former doubles partner Casey Dellacqua.

Talking to Casey, Barty revealed that she feels it is the right time for her to retire from the sport and chase other important dreams. Even though she didn’t open much about her decision, Barty didn’t shy away from mentioning that she now lacks the physical drive and the emotional want in her.

Barty’s retirement announcement

Barty hasn’t played a single tournament since her win at the 2022 Australian Open. Being out for more than a month, fans anticipated her return to the tour at the Indian Wells and Miami events. However, a week prior to the start of the WTA 1000, Barty put out a statement saying she is pulling out of the two events. She reasoned her decision saying that her body hasn’t fully recovered after the Australian Open. However, she gave hope to the tennis world saying that she is looking forward to making a comeback at the Billie Jean King Cup in April.

However, not even a month complete, Barty announced her retirement. Talking to a long-time friend Casey Dellacqua, Barty asserted that she does not know if it’s the right way to do it or not, but it is the perfect time to talk about it.

‘There’s no right way, there’s no wrong way, it’s just my way, and this is perfect for me to share it with you, to talk to you about it, with my team and my loved ones, that I’ll be retiring from tennis.” 

Barty has had a number of low moments in her life. However, having a fighting spirit within, the Australian has not only risen from the difficult times but has always proven to the world why she deserves to be called a champion.

Going further, the 3-time Grand Slam champion confessed that she as a person knows that it is right on her part to take this decision now. “‘It’s the first time I’ve actually said it out loud and it’s hard to say, but I’m so happy and so ready, and I just know at the moment in my heart that for me, as a person, this is right.”

Terming her 2021 Wimbledon Win as her biggest dream, and mentioning about her 2022 Australian Open win, Barty went on to talk about the perspective shift in her. She asserted that her happiness was not dependent on the results anymore. “There was a perspective shift in me in this second phase of my career that my happiness wasn’t dependent on results and success for me is knowing I’ve given absolutely everything I can. I’m fulfilled, I’m happy and I know how much work it takes to bring the best out of yourself.”

“I’ve said it to my team multiple times, I don’t have it in me anymore. I don’t have the physical drive, the emotional want and everything it takes to challenge yourself at the very top level anymore,” she further added.

Barty has announced her retirement from tennis. However, what remains as a question is, WHY?

The possible reasons for Ashleigh Barty retiring from tennis

The reason behind a sudden retirement announcement is still largely unclear. The whole tennis world is into speculations, giving their takes on the possible reasons for Barty’s retirement. Let’s look at some of the possible reasons for Barty’s retirement.

Ashleigh Barty has been a sports enthusiast since childhood. Even though she started her professional tennis career at the age of 14, she left the sport in 4 years. Taking a break from tennis, she went on playing cricket for a year. Taking that into consideration, one possible reason for retirement could be a possible comeback to the sport of cricket.

Apart from tennis, the world is highly aware of Barty’s love for golf. The 25-year-old has an exponential interest in golf and is often spotted playing the sport when not on tour. In 2020, when the world was witnessing the Covid-19 pandemic, Barty took her golf kit and headed to Brookwater. She participated in the Brookwater Golf Club women’s championship. Barty is undoubtedly a champion in tennis. However, being a champion in one sport and losing in the other didn’t seem Barty’s cup of tea. Having her swings in place, she went on to become the Brookwater Golf Club women’s champion.

Having an eye there, another possibility of her retirement from tennis could be an urge to try her hands professionally on golf.

Apart from playing, Ashleigh also has another connection with golf. Her long-time love interest, is golfer, Garry Kissick. Barty’s longtime boyfriend is a golfer and PGA Trainee Professional at the Brookwater Golf and Country Club in Brisbane. The two met in 2016, and have been going strong since then. Last year in November, the two announced their engagement.

Extracting from that, another possible reason for Barty’s retirement could be her marriage to Kissick.

Ashleigh Barty has come out to be a sensational player since 2016. Over the years, the player has achieved some of the biggest heights of the sport. Even though the Barty has announced her retirement from tennis, it wouldn’t be wrong to visit her gracious and variety full career.

Barty’s entry into the tennis world

Going back in time, Barty was born in 1996, in Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. Focused from the beginning, she started tennis at the age of 4. Being a child prodigy, she made her professional debut at the age of 14 in 2010. In 2012, she played her first WTA main draw match in Hobart, losing in the opening round. The same year, at the of 15, she made her Australian Open. The same year, she also made her and Wimbledon debut.

In the very next year, 2013, she reached her maiden quarterfinal at a WTA event in Kuala Lumpur. 2013 and 2014 acted as the formative years of Barty. Even though she didn’t win a title, she started winning the first rounds. However, following her first-round loss at the 2014 US Open. Barty announced that she is taking a break from professional tennis. However, as they say, once a sportsman, always a sportsman. Leaving tennis, Barty moved to cricket.

Picking up the cricket bat

Barty used to play cricket with her family. However, it was only after her meet with Australia’s national women’s cricket team in 2015, that she thought of taking up cricket professionally. Getting to practice, Ashleigh started playing for the Western Suburbs District Cricket Club.

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Impressed by her performance in the Brisbane’s Women’s Premier Cricket Twenty20 league, Barty bagged a contract with Brisbane Heat for the Women’s Big Bash League. She remained a permanent member of the team till the 2015 Women’s Big Bash League. However, the run was short-lived. In 2016, she announced her comeback to tennis.

Making a comeback to the court

Being out of the tour for a year, Barty experienced a major ranking drop. However, shocking the world, she made the strongest of the comebacks. Upon her return, she played her first WTA singles tournament at the WTA 250 Nottingham, reaching the semifinals. Losing in the qualifying stage of Wimbledon, she ended her year by reaching the quarterfinals in WTA 125 Taipei.

2017 acted as the breakthrough year for the Australian sensation. Following her third-round Australian Open loss, Barty went on to win her first WTA Tour level title in Kuala Lumpur. However, winning the tournament had much more in the bag than just a trophy. Winning at Kuala Lumpur, Barty entered the Top 100. In the same year, she also became a runner-up at Birmingham and Wuhan. Having her first successful year on the tour, Barty ended 2017 as World No. 17.

In 2018, she achieved the next big feat of her career, winning the Hengqin Life WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai 2018.

Even though Barty was already on an upward trend, it was 2019 that changed her career. She started the year with a runner-up position in Sydney, followed by quarterfinals in the Australian Open. Going strong in form, Barty cruised in Miami, winning her maiden WTA1000 level title. Entering the Top 10, she further went on to win the Roland Garros. However, it was after winning the 2019 Birmingham Open that she achieved her biggest career feat. Winning the title, she ruled the WTA rankings by becoming the World No. 1 for the first time in her career. The same year, she went on to win a number of more titles.

The last phase

In 2020, following the Covid-19 pandemic, Barty played just four tournaments, of which she won one and became a semifinalist in two.

Carrying her solid form forward, Barty entered 2021 with a win at Yarra Valley Classic. Not going down, she went on winning a number of titles, before finally winning at the Mecca of Tennis. The Championships Wimbledon.

Even though the year changed, the form of Barty didn’t seem to go down even by an inch. She started her 2022 season with a title win at the WTA 500 Adelaide International 1. Being in a roaring form, she showed no mercy at the Australian Open. Eyeing her third Grand Slam title, Barty sailed through the tournament, winning the title without dropping a single set.

Even though Ashleigh Barty has retired from the sport of tennis, the champion has undoubtedly given the tennis community some of its biggest moments.

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