Lacking the “physical drive” and “the emotional want” to continue, Ashleigh Barty has announced her retirement from tennis.
In a move that has stunned the sport, the world No 1 said she would “put the rackets down” content in the knowledge that she was spent, having given everything she could to the game.
“I just know at the moment, in my heart, for me as a person, this is right,” Barty told close friend Casey Dellacqua, her former doubles partner, in a video exchange posted to Instagram.
“It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a long time,” added the 25-year-old, who said fulfilling her “one true dream” in tennis by winning the Wimbledon final against Karolina Pliskova last summer had altered her outlook.
“I just had that gut feeling after Wimbledon, and had spoken to my team quite a lot about it. There was just a little part of me that wasn’t quite satisfied, that wasn’t quite fulfilled.
“As a person, this is what I want. I want to chase after some other dreams that I’ve always wanted to do.
“There was a perspective shift in me in the second phase of my career that my happiness wasn’t dependent on the results, and success for me is knowing that 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, it’s just I don’t have that in me any more. I don’t have the physical drive, the emotional want, and everything it takes to challenge yourself at the very top of the level any more. I just know that I am spent, I just know that physically I have nothing more to give, and that for me is success.”
The Queenslander, who also won the French Open title in 2019 and in January became the first homegrown player for 44 years to triumph at the Australian Open, has walked away from the sport before.
Eight years ago, having won junior Wimbledon and reached three grand slam doubles finals alongside Dellacqua, Barty took an 18-month break from tennis during which she underlined her all-round athletic ability with a successful spell in professional cricket.
A self-described homebody, she struggled with the travel demanded by the tour and, she said, became disillusioned by the “robotic” nature of life as a professional. A desire to remain in Brisbane with her family also underpinned Barty’s decision to step away from the game for almost a year when the pandemic began.
“I’ve given absolutely everything I can to this beautiful sport of tennis, and I’m really happy with that. And for me, that is my success,” said Barty, who will hold a press conference in Brisbane on Thursday to elaborate on her decision.
“I know that people may not understand it, and that’s OK, I’m OK with that. Because I know that for me, Ash Barty the person has so many dreams that she wants to chase after that don’t necessarily involve traveling the world, being away from my family, being away from my home, which is where I’ve always wanted to be.
“I’ll never ever, ever stop loving tennis. It’ll always be a massive part of my life. But now I think it’s important that I get to enjoy the next phase of my life as Ash Barty the person, not Ash Barty the athlete.”