A video on Instagram, a shaking voice and simple words. “There’s no right or wrong way to announce it: I’m going to retire”, quickly lets go of tenniswoman Ashleigh Barty, without prolonging the suspense, while taking the time to weigh every sound that comes out of her mouth. As if saying it loud and clear made it real. That there was now no going back. “It’s hard to say, she acknowledges, but I’m happy and ready. I know in my heart that this is the right decision.
It is an understatement to say that we did not expect such an announcement, as the young player has been walking in world tennis in recent years. For the past three years, in part thanks to the points freeze linked to the pandemic, the 25-year-old Australian has squatted first place in the WTA rankings. From the height of her meter sixty-six – which makes her one of the smallest players on the circuit – the one who was almost born racket in hand dominated all her opponents one by one.
End of career at home
The latest example in January, when, at home in Melbourne, in front of her home crowd, she won the Australian Open, her third career Grand Slam. During the two weeks of the tournament, she hadn’t lost a single set and was never really shaken up, apart from a snag in the final against the American Danielle Collins.
Since this victory, we had not seen Ashleigh Barty on the courts. Probably she was thinking about whether or not to announce this retirement, an idea that was running through her head. “since a long time”. Only he lacked a success on his land to be able to take such a decision calmly. “There was a very small part of me that wasn’t quite satisfiedshe says in the video posted on her social networks. And then the Australian Open challenge came. It’s the most perfect way for me to celebrate the incredible journey that my tennis career has been.”
Ashleigh Barty justifies her choice to withdraw from the circuits because she had no “plus the physical energy, the emotional will and everything it takes to push yourself to the highest level”. Statements that echo the psychological torment of the Japanese Naomi Osaka, former world number 1. It is also difficult not to draw a parallel with the French Marion Bartoli who retired in 2013, at only 28 years old. Just a month after winning Wimbledon, her first Grand Slam title.
cricket and golf
As soon as his retirement was announced, the reactions were numerous. From the WTA to Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, tributes poured in. “I will miss you, my friend, you are different, special and we lived together incredible moments”, moved her rival Simona Halep. “Happy for Ashleigh but disgusted for tennis”, has for its part tweeted Scottish Andy Murray.
From now on, Ashleigh Barty wishes “pursue other dreams” than those of a professional tennis player, who “do not necessarily involve traveling around the world”. Some imagine the world number 1 – she will still keep this status for long weeks even without playing – turning to other sports. In 2014, then a promising young tennis player, Ashleigh Barty had already put her career on hold to become a professional cricketer in the Australian championship.
More recently, when the first cases of Covid-19 were diagnosed and Australia decided to close its borders, she had decided to stay on her island. For nearly a year, she no longer participated in any WTA tournament, preferring golf clubs to tennis rackets. As usual, Ashleigh Barty had been successful, winning a tournament on a course near Brisbane.