Barty announced a shock retirement at the age of 25 in late March.
Former three-time Grand Slam champion Ashleigh Barty has once confirmed that she has no plans to return to tennis. Barty, 26, announced a shock retirement from tennis in late March, at the age of 25 when she was still the top-ranked player in the world.
Barty’s decision to retire while still in her prime came as a shock to many. “Nope, I’m done. You can never say never but no. No, no, no. I’m done,” Barty told the Australian Associated Press.
Barty: No more white line fever
Since retiring from professional tennis, Barty has indicated several times that she is at peace with her decision.
“I’m not training to be an athlete anymore. I’m not training as a job, I’m training for fun. I miss competing and challenging myself against the best in the world, but I don’t miss much that comes with it.
I’m still competitive with myself when I train at home. Still trying to push myself, but no more white line fever. And I never really felt like there was this void that needed to be filled because there was a genuine sense of accomplishment at the end of my career.
I think I wasn’t looking for the competitive beast anymore,” Barty explained. In the past, Barty left tennis and tried herself in cricket. Since retiring, there had been speculations regarding whether Barty could try herself again in another sport.
Now, Barty says she is not interested in becoming a commentator and also ruled out the claims that she could return to cricket or even become a jockey. “The jockey [idea and the meme that came out] was hilarious. Never.
Never might be my new favourite word,” Barty added. Since Barty retired, Iga Swiatek established herself as the new face of women’s tennis. Some regret Barty’s retirement because they feel that Barty and Swiatek would have made an outstanding rivalry.
