Brisbane (AP) – The tennis world number one Ashleigh Barty wants to remain closely connected to the sport even after her surprising resignation.
“I will never stop loving the sport and I will never stop hitting tennis balls,” said the 25-year-old Australian in Brisbane. “I just won’t do it selfishly anymore to try and advance my career.” The Australian Open winner unexpectedly announced the end of her career to the public on Wednesday.
When asked if a comeback was completely out of the question, Barty said: “You should never say never. I would say the door is closed, but it’s not locked.” She is a person who never categorically says no, but it feels to her as if the chapter in her tennis career is over.
She is now looking forward to coaching youngsters and “making a contribution,” Barty said. “I can’t wait to teach my nieces and nephews and I hope they will love tennis as much as I do.”
More time for the fiancé
In the future, she wants to spend more time with her family. “I’ve always been a domestic person, that’s how I charge my batteries, that’s where I get my energy from.” Barty has been engaged to professional golfer Garry Kissick since last year. “This is a new chapter for Garry and I now and it’s going to be a lot of fun,” she said.
She left it open whether she wanted to try other sports in the future. At the age of 18 she had already put her career on hold for almost two years due to the pressure and too much travel and played cricket professionally during the break. “I’ve always been an athlete in the sense that I’ve tried different things,” Barty said. “We’ll see what happens.”
The right-hander, who was born in Ipswich near Brisbane, has been at the top of the world rankings for 114 weeks. Only three players have had a longer streak than her: Steffi Graf (186), Serena Williams (186) and Martina Navratilova (156). After the current tournament in Miami, Iga Swiatek will probably become the new number 1. The Pole is more than 2200 points behind in second place in the world rankings. If she wins the second round game against Viktorija Golubic this Friday, the 20-year-old will be at the top from April 4th.
At the end of January, Barty ensured a home triumph in Melbourne for the first time since 1978. In total, she has won three Grand Slams in her career. Before the Australian Open, she had already won Wimbledon and the French Open. “I wouldn’t change anything and I have no regrets,” Barty concluded.