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World women’s tennis number one Ashleigh Barty made a shocking announcement on Wednesday that she is retiring from professional tennis at just 25. Ash Barty has won three Grand Slam titles, including this year’s Australian Open back in January. She retires after earning approximately $23.8 million in her career in professional tennis.
Quitting to Chase Her Dreams
In her words, Barty said she was quitting to “chase other dreams”. She went on to say that she was “absolutely spent” and that “physically I have nothing more to give”. She explained the decision further saying “I’m so happy and I’m so ready. I just know at the moment in my heart, for me as a person, this is right.”
The Strenuous Nature of Professional Sport
Barty also hinted that she was quitting out of the strain that her tennis career had had on her personal life including keeping her away from being at home and with her family. She said that “I know that people may not understand it. I’m OK with that. Because I know that Ash Barty the person has so many dreams she wants to chase after that don’t necessarily involve traveling the world, being away from my family, from my home, which is where I’ve always wanted to be.”
Grand Slam Champion
Ash Barty was the first home player (man or woman) to win the Australian Open in the last 44 years. She has been world number one for a consecutive 114 weeks becoming one of the greats and only outdone by the likes of Serena Williams. She got the title back in 2019 when she won her first singles Grand Slam title.
A Lack of Fulfillment
According to Ash, reaching the epitome of tennis success made her realize that she had other dreams as after reaching her ultimate dream she still didn’t feel fulfilled. She says that she will now venture into going after her other dreams and was very grateful for what tennis had given her. Moreover, according to her, her biggest achievement was giving her everything to the sport.
Our View: An Overwhelmed Barty
Barty has always seemed a little overwhelmed with the occurrences within the tennis court. She is fiercely competitive and sometimes seemed to be struggling with coping with the intensity of the sport and even its media obligations. She has done phenomenally well despite this and her leaving may be good for her and her well-being. We wish her all the best and we are sure other capable stars will take up the mantle.
