Tennis can be a brutal sport, and there are several cases of great stars who have admitted that they never really enjoyed playing, such as Marat Safin and Andre Agassi. However, it is still rare when a young athlete at their peak decides to leave. That’s the case of Ashleigh Barty, who after winning three Grand Slams titles, became World No. 1 and even being compared to Roger Federer, chose to leave tennis at only 25 years old.
Barty, born in 1996, was one of the best tennis players of her generation. As a juniors, she reached the world No. 2 and won the 2011 Wimbledon girls’ singles title, when she was 15 years old. However, that moment would define her early career.
“Come that handshake, I think everything hit me pretty quickly,” she told The New York Times in 2018. “It was probably one of the best moments and one of the worst moments of my career, in the sense that it was a big factor when the pressure and everything changed,” she said.
After winning as a junior, she took a two-year break from the sport due to the pressure that she felt. “I think if you’re ready to accept that, and embrace it, and learn to deal with it, it can help you. But for me, I wasn’t ready to do that,” she explained to the paper.
Ashleigh Barty won the Wimbledon Girls’ tournament at 15 years old (Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Eventually, Barty found her way back to the sport, and she dominated like any other player since Serena Williams. Due to her solid serve and capability of playing on all surfaces, she was compared to some of the biggest talents, such as Federer. And, she is also, in an exclusive club, which also includes the Swiss legend.
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Barty’s style: ‘She’s very similar to Federer’
Barty excelled on all surfaces, showcasing a diverse shot selection. Though shorter than many of her peers, she was a highly effective server, consistently ranking among the WTA Tour’s leaders in aces and service points won.
“She makes everything easy. Tough matches, she makes it easy. I’m just watching and watching her. It’s amazing. For me, she’s very similar on the male side to [Roger] Federer,” Spanish star Paula Badosa told the press in 2022.
Barty’s backhand was praised by tennis stars (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Also, one of her signature shots was the backhand slice, which legend Jim Courer compared to Federer. “Ash’s slice technique is arguably the best backhand slice technique in the world, period,” he said, while commenting on Channel Nine.
“Men’s, women’s tennis, it doesn’t matter. It’s spectacular. Roger Federer, if you’re back in Switzerland, yeah that’s right, I said it buddy. [Her’s] might be better than yours,” he added. Meanwhile, Matts Wilander predicted that she was going to dominate the women’s tour, just like Federer did in the men’s tour from 2003 to 2005, almost unbeatable. However, that didn’t happen.
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Barty’s career highlights: Grand Slams in all surfaces and World No. 1
Barty returned to the game in 2016 with a new coach, Craig Tyzzer, and in 2017, won her first WTA Tour title at the Malaysian Open and rose to No. 17 in the world. In 2019, she won her first Grand Slam title at the French Open and became World No. 1, before conquering Wimbledon in 2021.
With her victory in London, she became only the seventh player, and the third woman, to have won Wimbledon both as a junior and professional. She joined Bjorn Borg, Pat Cash, Stefan Edberg, Martina Hingis, Amelie Mauresmo and Federer.
After winning the title, she was already thinking of leaving tennis. “Winning Wimbledon was the single thing I wanted my whole career,” Barty said in an interview with News Corp. “But after that feat, in June 2021, the fire died inside.”
Barty won Wimbledon in 2021 (Julian Finney/Getty Images)
In her memoir, “My Dream Time,” Barty wrote about her feelings at the time: “I don’t know what I’m playing for anymore. I think I’m done. I have got nothing left, no spark.” Despite struggling to find her motivation, she won the Australian Open in 2022, becoming the first Australian in 44 years to win the Australian Open singles title.
She didn’t drop a set in the tournament, and also became only the eighth woman to have won majors in all three surfaces. Other of her achievements include other 12 WTA Titles, including the 2019 WTA Finals. She also won 12 doubles titles, including a major at the 2018 US Open with CoCo Vandeweghe.
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Retirement and life after tennis
Just months after her triumph, she announced her retirement as the world No. 1(she spent 125 weeks in total) and at 25 years old. “I don’t have the physical drive, the emotional want and everything it takes to challenge yourself at the very top of the level any more. I am spent,” she said at the time in an interview with her friend and her former doubles partner, Casey Dellacqua.
Ashleigh Barty won the 2022 Australian Open (Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
Barty has called herself as “homebody,” and admitted to have not missed tennis. “To be honest, I think what has surprised me most is how comfortable I’ve been,” she told The New York Times in 2023. “I think there was probably a normal fear or uncertainty in not knowing what my life would look like after tennis after being so focused.”
Since retiring from tennis, she has authored children’s books as well as her autobiography, worked as a mentor for young athletes, and remained involved in Australian sports. Barty also welcomed her first child in 2023 and has continued to promote tennis and community programs in Australia.
