“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 OpenThe winner unexpectedly announced the end of her career on Wednesday.
When asked if a comeback was 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 recharge my batteries, that’s where I get my energy from.” Barty has been engaged to professional golfer Garry Kissick since last year. “Now this is a new chapter for Garry and I 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”said Barty now. “We’ll see what happens.”
The right-hander, 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 2,200 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 three in her career Grand Slams won. Before the Australian Open, she had already won Wimbledon and the French Open. “I wouldn’t change anything and I have no regrets”, Barty drew her conclusion.
Source: dpa