Ash Barty: "I know it was the right time for me"
Ash Barty spoke to the Guardian about her retirement from tennis and the status quo of the WTA Tour.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit: Jul 12, 2022, 08:15 pm
For Central European tennis fans, it was an awakening with the much-cited bang when Ash Barty announced her retirement from tennis on March 23 of this year out of nowhere. And that as the superior number one in the world - and just 25 years. The Australian hasn't regretted anything since, at least that's what she assured in an interview with the British Guardian.
"I have no regrets. I know it was the right time for me. It was what I wanted to do," said the three-time Grand Slam winner. "I know that many people may not understand that yet, but I hope they respect it because it was my decision," said Barty, who has since taken the distance from tennis that she simply needed.
Barty missed Wimbledon final
And so, for example, the women's final in Wimbledon did not follow live in front of the television. "I didn't see the Wimbledon final this year. Of course I was very happy for Ons (Jabeur) and Elena (Rybakina), they are two great girls and it was also great to see Nick (Kyrgios) who I known for so long to reach the final," explained the Australian.
However, not much has changed, because even when he was active, Barty was not a fan of watching other people's matches live. "Since I've retired I've seen as many matches as I did when I was on tour: practically none," said the Australian. "Sometimes we can let it run in the background, but I rarely sit on the couch and watch a game from start to finish."
Barty sprinkles Swiatek roses
The reasoning? Lights up. "I've hit enough balls in my life that I don't need to see how other people do it." Nevertheless, Barty is perfectly capable of giving a qualified assessment of the status quo of the WTA tour: "We no longer have just one or two dominant players, but a lot more unpredictability. It's not because the WTA is weak . Rather, it's because the Tour is really strong."
In summary: "The depth in women's tennis is spectacular." But one lady in particular has impressed the Australian: Iga Swiatek. "She's an incredible talent, an extraordinary person and a very nice girl. I love her and her team so much and I couldn't be prouder that she snagged the number one because she's playing the game the right way and wise and has a lot of energy and charisma."