Women’s world No. 1 tennis player Ashleigh Barty of Australia had the tennis world and her legion of fans in a state of shock on Wednesday (IST) after the winner of three Grand Slams announced her retirement one month shy of her 26th birthday.
Barty won the French Open in 2019, the Wimbledon in 2021 and Australian Open earlier this year, and her current reign of 114 consecutive weeks at No.1 is the fourth-longest streak in the history of the WTA Tour, behind Germany’s Steffi Graf (186 weeks), American stalwart Serena Williams (186) and Czechoslovakian-American great Martina Navratilova (156). Barty’s 121 total weeks as the top ranked player are No.7 in the all-time list.
“It’s the first time I’ve actually said it out loud and, yeah, it’s hard to say,” an emotional Barty told former doubles partner Casey Dellacqua in an interview, according to wtatennis.com. “But I’m so happy, and I’m so ready.
WTA chairman and CEO Steve Simon said, “With her accomplishments at the Grand Slams, WTA Finals and reaching the pinnacle ranking of No.1 in the world, she has clearly established herself as one the great champions of the WTA.
Barty has always been unconventional with regard to her career. She and Dellacqua enjoyed huge success playing doubles, reaching the finals of the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open in 2013. But one year later, ranked outside top-200 in singles and No.40 in doubles, Barty then 18 decided to take a break.