By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Tuesday, July 4, 2023
Ash Barty is enjoying a treasured title: Mom.
Former world No. 1 Barty gave birth to her first child, son Hayden.
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The baby boy is Barty's first child with husband Garry Kissick and arrives a year after the couple were married in a quiet Queensland ceremony.
The proud parents announced their baby's birth in a shared social media post.
"Our beautiful boy ❤️ Welcome to the world, Hayden!" the couple announced in a joint social media post.
Three-time Grand Slam champion Barty gave birth after fellow former No. 1 Angelique Kerber gave birth to her first child.
The WTA baby brigade will be growing as Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka are both due to give birth.
Ons Jabeur was one of several players at Wimbledon offering congratulations to Barty.
"Fantastic. I'm very happy for her that she had a baby boy," Jabeur told the media at Wimbledon. "I'm very happy for her because this is something that I want to have, a family.
"I'm sure she's enjoying being a mom right now than being on a tennis court waiting to play at Wimbledon (smiling). I hope that she will change her mind like Wozniacki and comes back maybe in one or two years."
In her farewell presser last year, Barty said life after tennis is "incredible" and she has no plans to launch a tennis comeback.
“I’ve no regrets about retiring,” Barty said. “Not one. I knew it was the right time for me. It was what I wanted to do.
"And I know that a lot of people may still not understand it. But I hope they respect that in the sense that it was my decision. And yeah, it’s been incredible. It’s been everything that I’ve ever wanted.”
Photo credit: Ashleigh Barty Instagram