World Tennis No. 1 Ash Barty Calls Shocking Retirement 'Scary but Exciting'

Ash Barty is looking forward to what comes next after the No. 1 player in the world unexpectedly retired from professional tennis.

Addressing her decision during a video call with reporters, the Australian said her retirement is "scary but exciting":

"It's exciting because there are so many things Ash Barty the person wants to achieve and dreams that I want to chase after. But I think my purpose won't change. I just get to contribute in a different way. I get to contribute more on the tennis side with the younger girls, younger boys and throughout the communities, which is exciting for me."

Barty will only turn 26 in April and is only a few months removed from winning the Australian Open, her third Grand Slam singles title. She's in the prime of her playing career theoretically with plenty left in the tank.

But tennis is an unforgiving sport. The longevity that Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams have enjoyed is the exception rather than the norm.

Martina Hingis nearly won the calendar Grand Slam in 1997, when she was just 16. By 2002, her time as one of the best players in the world was effectively over and she stepped away in 2003.

Kim Clijsters was only 23, a U.S. Open champion and two-time French Open runner-up to that point when she retired for the first time in 2007.

Like Barty, Justine Henin was 25 years and the world's No. 1 player when she retired in 2008.

The nature of tennis can be isolating, with a player alone out there on the court. Naomi Osaka was left in tears after being heckled during a match at the 2022 BNP Paribas Open.

Then there's the physical toll the sport can take. Spending countless hours practicing and playing on a hardcourt surface isn't exactly good for your joints and back.

Barty battled a hip injury last fall. That was merely the most recent of a relatively lengthy list of physical ailments she has picked up over the years. She wasn't able to enter into any tournaments following the Australian Open because her body wasn't responding as she had hoped.

Hingis, Clijsters and Henin all got the itch to play again and eventually came out of retirement, so fans may not have seen the last of Barty on the biggest stages. But nobody will blame her if she's perfectly content to sit back and enjoy the sport from afar.