Beautiful detail in Ash Barty's shock retirement announcement
Ash Barty's sudden retirement from tennis left the world in disbelief on Wednesday, with one lovely detail about the announcement perhaps the only thing that didn't come as a complete shock.
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, Barty made the extraordinary announcement that she's walking away from tennis, while at the very top of 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.
For those who've followed Barty's career closely, it was no surprise to see Dellacqua beside the 25-year-old as she made one of the biggest decisions of her life.
The pair have been incredibly close friends ever since they first played doubles together back in 2012, when Barty was just 15 years old.
Dellacqua served as a mentor as Barty made her way in the sport and helped convince her to come back to tennis after she took a short hiatus in 2015.
They made three grand slam doubles finals without success before Barty snared her first major singles title at the French Open in 2019.
Dellacqua was also the first person to race onto Rod Laver Arena and congratulate Barty after she became the first home winner of the Australia Open in 44 years.
So it was no surprise that aside from presumably Barty's coach, immediate family and small group of tennis officials, Dellacqua was one of the few who knew about the Aussie's shock retirement call on Wednesday.
"I wasn’t sure how to share this news with you so I asked my good friend Casey Dellacqua to help me," Barty said in the video announcement.
"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."
Ash Barty retires from tennis for second time
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.”
Two weeks after winning the French Open in 2019, Barty became the first Australian woman to reach world No.1 since her mentor and Indigenous idol Evonne Goolagong 43 years earlier.
She followed that up with victory at the 2019 WTA Finals in Shenzhen, in doing so pocketing $US6.4 million - the biggest cheque in tennis history.
Her crowning glory came last year at Wimbledon before Barty defied intense pressure and expectations from home fans to win the Australian Open.
"(Retirement) is something I've been thinking about for along time and I've had a lot of incredible moments in my career that have been pivotal moments," Barty said in a video interview with her great mate and former doubles partner Casey Dellacqua.
"Wimbledon last year changed a lot for me as a person and for me as an athlete.
"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 was my dream.
"The one true dream that I really wanted in tennis. That really changed my perspective and I just had that gut feeling after Wimbledon and had spoken to my team about it."
But after a semi-final and two quarter-final defeats at Melbourne Park, Barty had one more piece of unfinished business to tend to.
"There was a little part of me that wasn't quite satisfied, wasn't quite fulfilled and then came the challenge of the Australian Open and that for me feels like the most perfect way, my perfect way to celebrate what an amazing journey my tennis career has been."
That was the Queenslander's 15th career title - and seemingly last.
with AAP
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