By Richard Pagliaro | Wednesday, March 23, 2022
"To be able to win Wimbledon which was my dream, my one true dream that I wanted in tennis, really changed my perspective,” world No. 1 Ash Barty said of her thought process on retiring at age 25.
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Major moments inspired all-court conviction in Ashleigh Barty.
World No. 1 Barty brought her best in Grand Slam finals posting a 3-0 record in Slam showdowns winning six of the seven sets she played in those finals.
More: Twitter Reacts to Barty's Retirement
The 25-year-old Barty stunned the tennis world announcing her retirement in an Instagram interview with good friend and former doubles partner Casey Dellacqua.
Barty's retirement announcement comes nearly two months to the day since she won the Australian Open title.
The Barty Party peaked in a homecoming crescendo in January as the top-seeded Aussie’s 6-3, 7-6 win over feisty American Danielle Collins snapped a 44-year home singles drought at the AO and captivated Aussies.
Barty’s triumph drew a peak viewership of 4.26 million TV viewers Down Under making it the most widely-viewed Australian Open women’s final in Australia in history.
In her retirement announcement, Barty said winning Wimbledon last July she realized her dream and first began contemplating retirement.
“To be able to win Wimbledon which was my dream, my one true dream that I wanted in tennis, really changed my perspective,” Barty said. “I just had that gut feeling after Wimbledon. I had spoken to my team quite a lot about it and there was just a little part of me that wasn’t quite fulfilled.
"Then came the challenge of the Australian Open. That for me just feels like my perfect way to celebrate what an amazing journey my tennis career has been. As a person, this is what I want.”
Barty, who got engaged to long-time partner Gary Kissick last year, closes the curtain on her brilliant career seeking to chase new dreams. Could those dreams include starting a family? Or pursuing a golf career?
Only time will tell.
Here's a look back at Barty's career by the numbers.
1. Ash Barty retires as world No. 1 joining Justine Henin as the second woman to retire at the top of tennis.
2. The athletic Aussie has played two sports professionally—tennis and cricket—could golf or surfing be her next pro pursuit?
3. Barty owns three Grand Slam titles on three different surfaces: 2022 Australian Open on hard court, 2021 Wimbledon on grass and 2019 Roland Garros on clay. Winning the AO in January, Barty joined Serena Williams as the only active woman with singles majors on three different surfaces.
4. Barty’s 114 consecutive weeks as world No. 1 is fourth on the all-time list behind only Serena Williams and Steffi Graf (186 consecutive weeks apiece) and Martina Navratilova (156 consecutive weeks).
4. When Barty won Wimbledon last July, she joined Ann Jones, Martina Hingis and Amelie Mauresmo as the fourth junior champion to raise the Rosewater Dish.
5. The young Ash was 5-years-old when her parents, Robert and Josie, introduced her to tennis.
6. Barty is a six-time WTA runner-up, most recently at the 2021 Mutua Madrid Masters.
7. Seven years ago, Barty took the entire 2015 season off and played pro cricket for the Brisbane Heat during her time away from tennis.
10. Barty banged 10 aces and won 31 of 38 first-serve points in the AO final.
11. The world No. 1 has posted an 11-0 record this season.
12. Number of career doubles titles Barty owns, including the 2018 US Open with Coco Vandeweghe.
15. Number of career singles titles Barty has won.
15. Barty was 15 when she won the 2011 Wimbledon girls’ title.
17. Barty took a 17-month sabbatical from tennis after the 2014 season.
23. Barty concludes her career with $23,829,071 in career prize money.
25. Former world No. 1 Justine Henin, like Barty, was age 25 when she initially retired in 2008.
26. Barty celebrates her 26th birthday on April 24th, could she take a year or two off and launch a comeback again?
44. The top seed snapped a 44-year Aussie singles title drought at her home Slam defeating Danielle Collins 6-3, 7-6(2) in the Australian Open final becoming the first Aussie—man or woman—to capture the AO singles championship since Chris O’Neil in 1978.
50. Barty won Wimbledon wearing a specially-designed Fila Trailblazer skirt paying tribute to the 50th anniversary of her tennis hero Aussie legend Evonne Goolagong Cawley’s enthralling 1971 Wimbledon title run. On Goolagong's golden anniversary, Barty won Wimbledon becoming the first Aussie woman to raise the Rosewater Dish since Goolagong in 1980.