A Look at Ashleigh Barty’s Career and Her Decision to Retire While Shes On The Top
On March 23, 2022, Ashleigh Barty shocked the tennis world when she announced her retirement from the sport. Many didn’t see the decision coming as the then World No.1 was just coming off one of her biggest victories a Grand Slam win in her backyard.
The top players decision had many scratching their heads as most assumed that the then-only 25-year-old player had years-worth of a career in front of her. Other players in her position would have gone on to push their limits further, collecting Grand Slams left and right. But, as it would turn out, thats not what Barty had in mind.
In her retirement video which she posted on Instagram, she called the day of the announcement difficult and filled with emotion. But she also said that she was thankful for all that tennis had given her.
Here, we will take a closer look at the phenomenal Australians career, her decision to retire, and what that could mean going forward.
Her Beginnings
Barty was born in Ipswich, Queensland, and started playing tennis when she was just four years old. As a junior player, she reached No.2 in the world rankings after she won the Wimbledon Girls Singles in 2011. She quickly turned pro after that.
Her early career saw a teenage Barty do well as a doubles player while paired with Cassey Dellacqua. In 2013, the two were runner-ups at three Grand Slam doubles events that year, including the Aussie Open. She was only 16 at the time.
A Short Hiatus from Tennis and Foray into Cricket
After a successful 2013, Barty announced that she was going to take an indefinite leave from tennis.
During that time, she played cricket and even signed up with Brisbane Heat despite not being formally trained in the sport. She then played in the inaugural Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) season in 2015.
In an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald back in October 2015, she said.
“I wanted to make sure I was all in or there’s no point doing it. It is tough when you’re by yourself and I think that’s why team sport is so appealing. I’m still connected very much to tennis and everything it has to offer. It’s been a part of me since I was four years old and is never going to leave me.”
In 2016, she returned to playing tennis and by 2017, she won her first WTA title, the Malaysian Open. This year she also broke into the Top 20 despite not being ranked in the Top 100 previously. She also reunited with Dellacqua and the two had a banner year in doubles once more.
Reaching Career Milestones
In 2018, she won her first Grand Slam title The US Open women’s doubles. She did this while paired with Coco Vandeweghe. The following year, she had her first Grand Slam singles win at the French Open, defeating Marketa Vondrousova.
She was now a Grand Slam winner twice over and was quickly becoming a household name in Australia, even more so when she became the WTAs World No.1, a spot she held for 121 weeks. In 2020, she became an Olympian representing Australia at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and won the bronze medal in the mixed doubles event.
In the same year, she achieved what she calls one of her biggest career goals and that is winning the singles title at Wimbledon. She beat Karolina Piliskova to do so. She was the first Australian to do so since Evonne Goolagong Cawley in 1980. She was also the first top-seeded player to do since Serena Williams.
In 2022, she made Australia proud by winning the Australian Open women’s singles event. She reached the milestone of being the first Australian player to win the Aussie Open since 1978 when Chris ONeil did it. Even more so, she won the title without dropping a single set.
Retiring from the Sport
After what may be considered the biggest win in her tennis career, the Australian shocked the world by announcing that she was retiring from the sport. She did it with the help of former doubles partner Cassey Dellacqua in a video released on Instagram.
In the video, she said, “It’s something Ive been thinking about for a long time.”
“I’ve had a lot of incredible moments in my career that have been pivotal moments. Wimbledon last year changed a lot for me as a person and me as an athlete when you work so hard your whole life for one goal.”
“To be able to win Wimbledon, which was my dream, the one true dream that 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.”
Knowing When to Stop
Her decision to retire while she was on top of her career sent shockwaves through the tennis world but many also applauded her decision of knowing herself well enough to know when to quit.
In her retirement video, she also said, “I don’t have the physical drive, the emotional want, and everything it takes to challenge yourself at the very top of the level anymore. I am spent.”
Those last three words speak of the immense amount of self-awareness that Barty has. She is also lauded for having the courage to put her mental and physical health above her career.
For the record, Barty is not the first Women’s tennis player to retire while at the No.1 spot. Belgian Justine Henin did the same back in 2008. She had a short comeback in 2010 but then retired for good in 2011.
Not Closing the Door Entirely
Barty has not closed the door to tennis entirely. She will still be involved in tennis but will shift her focus towards helping younger players have their starts in the sport.
In July 2022, it was announced that the former World No.1 will be opening a tennis academy in Australia with coaches Craig Tyzzer and Jason Stoltenberg. Their aim will be to mentor Australia’s homegrown talents.
Barty herself has said that her goal is to help junior players transition into being pro players.
As for playing professionally again, Barty is not saying never, but she says that whatever changes may occur, it’s still far off into the future.