'Given everything': Ash Barty reveals reasons for sudden retirement

Ash Barty has shocked the tennis world after announcing her retirement from the sport at age 25.

The current World No.1 hasn't played since winning the Australian Open in January and recently announced she wouldn't be playing at Indian Wells or Miami this month.

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On Wednesday she made the bombshell announcement that she's walking away from the sport.

"Today is difficult and filled with emotion for me as I announce my retirement from tennis," Barty wrote on Instagram alongside a video interview with Casey Dellacqua.

"I wasn’t sure how to share this news with you so I asked my good friend Casey Dellacqua to help me.

"I am so thankful for everything this sport has given me and leave feeling proud and fulfilled.

"Thank you to everyone who has supported me along the way, I’ll always be grateful for the lifelong memories that we created together."

In the interview Barty said: "I know that I am spent, physically, I don't have anything more to give.

"I have given everything I can to this beautiful sport and I'm really happy with that. For me, that is my success."

Barty previously took a break from tennis in 2014 before returning and becoming one of the best players Australia has ever produced.

However she said this isn't the same situation and she won't be back.

"I’m so happy and I’m so ready and I just know at the moment, in my heart for me as a person this is right," she added.

“I know I’ve done this before, but in a very different feeling.

"I’m so grateful to everything that tennis has given me. It’s given me all of my dreams, plus more.

"But I know the time is right now for me to step away and chase other dreams and to put the racquets down.”

The Queenslander said she would provide more details at a press conference on Thursday.

Tennis world in shock over Ash Barty retirement

Barty bows out of the sport with 15 career singles titles and three grand slam trophies.

She has been World No.1 since September of 2019.

The 25-year-old won the French Open in 2019 for her maiden grand slam triumph before winning Wimbledon in 2021 and the Australian Open in 2022.

Barty said she felt like she wanted to retire after fulfilling her lifelong dream of winning Wimbledon.

“It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a long time and I’ve had a lot of incredible moments in my career that have been pivotal moments,” she told Dellacqua.

“Wimbledon last year changed a lot for me as a person and for me as an athlete when you work so hard your whole life for one goal, and I’ve been able to share that with so many incredible people.

“But to be able to win Wimbledon, which was my dream - the one, true dream I wanted in tennis - that really changed my perspective.

"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, wasn’t quite fulfilled. And then came the challenge of the Australian Open.

“That for me just feels like the perfect way - my perfect way - to celebrate what an amazing journey my tennis career has been.

“As a person, this is what I want. I want to chase after some other dreams that I’ve always wanted to do, and always had that really healthy balance, but I’m really, really excited.”

She also won 12 doubles titles including the US Open title with Coco Vandeweghe in 2018.

WTA boss Steve Simon said Barty who brought “unwavering professionalism and sportsmanship” to every match she played.

“We wish Ash only the very best and know that she will continue to be a tremendous ambassador for the sport of tennis as she embarks on this new chapter of her life,” he wrote in a statement.

Fans and commentators have been flocking to social media in shock.

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