Nothing doing: Barty coy on future but set on retirement
Ash Barty has revealed her tennis retirement plans were set before having “one last crack” and marching to a dominant Australian Open title.
The world No.1 and three-time major champion sensationally announced her retirement at age 25 on Wednesday.
Speaking alongside coachĀ Craig Tyzzer on Thursday, she revealed a wedding date with fianceĀ Garry Kissick had been set but remained coy on her next professional move.
Winning an Australian Open wasnāt essential though, Barty explaining she had ānever been a prisonerā to the profession she had already walked away from once as a prodigious teenager.
āTheĀ Australian public allowed me to be myself. They allowed me to make mistakes. They allowed me to be imperfect,ā she said.
āIt really did make that Australian Open so much more enjoyable for all of us to be able to go āyou know what, this is one last crack, letās see what we can doā.
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āIt was really cool.ā
Tyzzer admitted he wasnāt surprised by Bartyās decision, given she had cheekily asked if she could retire after her 2019 French Open victory and that her limp Olympic singles campaign last year had been telling.
āAfter (winning) Wimbledon that was an obvious goal for us and once she achieved it and once we got to the Olympics, it sort of hit home for me that there wasnāt much left in her,ā he said.
āThe motivation wasnāt there, except when she played doubles with Storm (Sanders) and mixed withĀ John Peers, her singles really went by the wayside.
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āShe wasnāt fussed.
āSo I felt that she had climbed where she needed to get to and it was going to be a hard slog to keep her involved.ā
The Queenslander has already played professional cricket and is an accomplished golfer and high-profile fan of AFL club Richmond.
But Barty, who lives nearby the Brisbane Lionsā new AFLW headquarters in Springfield, offered a smile, wink and a āyouāll have to wait and seeā when asked several times about what might be coming next.
Tyzzer said her approach since returning to the sport in 2016 should serve as a lesson for others.
āHopefully they have seen what Ash has done and understand that you can be yourself ā¦ just be the best version of you,ā he said.
āAnd that was really what we were about; it was never about the success.
āIt was just trying to find the best that Ash could be, and it turned out that sheās the best there is.ā
Ā
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