Ashleigh Barty is going out on top. The WTA's top-ranked player is retiring from tennis.
Barty made the stunning announcement on Wednesday in a video interview posted to Instagram with good friend and former WTA touring pro Casey Dellacqua, her longtime doubles partner in the early years of her career. At just 25, Barty is walking away from the sport not only as the consensus world No. 1, but after starting 2022 unbeaten.
"There's no right way, there's no wrong way, it's just my way, and this is perfect for me to share," Barty began, "that I'll be retiring from tennis."
Barty's announcement comes just two months after she won her third Grand Slam singles title at the Australian Open, where she became the first Australian woman in 44 years to win her home major. She also won in Adelaide to start the year, beginning the season on an 11-match winning streak. More broadly, her retirement comes on the heels of a stretch where she established herself as the dominant world No. 1—she's held the top spot for 114 consecutive weeks—and won 25 of her last 26 matches. She won the Australian Open without dropping a set, and is also the reigning Wimbledon champion.
But Barty cited her fulfilling her childhood dreams of winning both tournaments—matching longstanding achievements of idol and mentor Evonne Goolagong—as a factor in her decision.
An accomplished junior player who won the girls' singles title at Wimbledon in 2011, Barty famously took a two-year hiatus from tennis (2014-16), where she played professional cricket in her native Australia, before returning to the tour full-time in 2017. During the next five years, she posted a 188-56 record at tour-level events, a match-win percentage of 77%. Only Serena Williams (79-22, 78.2%) owned a higher winning percentage in that time.
"I'm so happy and I'm so ready, and I just know at the moment, in my heart, for me as a person, that this is right. I know I've done this before, but in a very different feeling," Barty said with a laugh. "I'm so grateful for everything that tennis has given me. It's given me all of my dreams, plus more, but I know that the time is right for me to step away, to chase other dreams and to put the racquets down."
At the time of Barty's announcement, praise quickly flowed in from all corners of the sport, from her peers to all-time greats and Hall of Famers—an honor that Barty herself is all but certain to have in her future.
“Ashleigh Barty, with her signature slice backhand, complemented by being the ultimate competitor, has always led by example through the unwavering professionalism and sportsmanship she brought to every match," WTA CEO Steve Simon said in a media release.
"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. 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. We will miss her.”
Barty ends her career with three Grand Slam singles titles, and retires with an all-time career record of 305-102 in singles and a 200-64 record in doubles. She first reached world No. 1 on June 24, 2019, and her mark of 114 consecutive weeks at the top is the fourth-longest streak in tour history behind Stefanie Graf (186 weeks), Serena Williams (186) and Martina Navratilova (156).
Overall, Barty has held the No.1 ranking for 121 weeks, the seventh-most in tour history. She finished the 2019, 2020 and 2021 seasons on top, making her just one of five players to achieve that feat three consecutive times.
Barty is the second world No. 1 woman to retire while in the top spot. Justine Henin retired on May 14, 2008, after spending 61 consecutive weeks at No. 1, though she returned to the game two years later for a second tenure. Barty, though, says not to expect that from her.
"I don't have the physical drive, the emotional want, and everything it takes to challenge yourself at the very top level anymore. I just know I'm absolutely spent, I just know physically I have nothing more to give. That for me is success. I've given absolutely everything I can to this beautiful sport of tennis, and I'm really happy with that," she said.
"I know that people may not understand it, and that's okay. I'm okay with that, because I know that for me, Ash Barty, the person, has so many dreams she wants to chase after that don't necessarily involve travelling the world, being away from my family, being away from my home, which is where I've always wanted to be.
"I'll never, ever, ever stop loving tennis. It'll always be a massive part of my life, but now, I think it's important that I get to enjoy the next phase of my life as Ash Barty the person, not Ash Barty the athlete."
