The 25-year-old Ashleigh Barty caused a thunderous surprise in the tennis world on Tuesday by announcing the end of her career. In a video on her Instagram page Barty, who has been at the top of the world rankings for women’s tennis for over two years, speaks candidly about her farewell.
“I no longer have the physical drive, the emotional will and everything it takes to challenge yourself at the highest level. I’m out,” Barty says in the video, talking to former tennis player Casey Dellacqua. “I’ve given absolutely everything I’ve given to this beautiful tennis sport, and I’m really happy with that. For me that is my success.”
During her career, Barty won the French Open in 2019, Wimbledon in 2021 and the Australian Open in January this year. The Australian broke through in women’s doubles tennis in 2013, but decided to take a sabbatical of almost two years a year later at the age of 18.
Also read: Wimbledon winner Ashleigh Barty proves: more balance keeps top sports life fun
After her return to professional tennis, Barty was among the best tennis players in the world within a few years. Her announcement to quit comes a month before her 26th birthday. “As a person, this is what I want. I want to chase some other dreams that I’ve always wanted to do,” said Barty.