Ash Barty 'didn't watch Wimbledon finals', former world No. 1 has 'no regrets about retiring'
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Updated 12/07/2022 at 11:40 GMT
Australian Open champion Ashleigh Barty admits she’s watched very little tennis since retiring, choosing to avoid the men’s and women’s Wimbledon finals at the weekend. Barty also insists she won’t make a comeback to tennis and has no plans to become a professional golf player despite taking to the green on several occasions.
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Ashleigh Barty has revealed she didn’t watch any of the Wimbledon finals, stating she’s “hit enough tennis balls” in her life.
Barty shocked the tennis world by retiring two months after winning the Australian Open singles title in Melbourne.
The former world No.1 was the defending women’s Wimbledon champion but decided to steer clear of the final between Ons Jabeur and Elena Rybakina which was won by the Kazakhstani.
“I didn’t watch this year’s Wimbledon finals,” Barty told The Guardian. “Sorry to disappoint. Obviously I was rapt for Ons and Elena, who are both brilliant girls and it was obviously awesome to see Nick [Kyrgios], who I’ve known for over a dozen years, get to the final.
“But since retiring I’ve probably watched as many matches as I did when I was playing, which was slim to none.
“Occasionally we’ll have it on as background noise but it’s very seldom that I’ll sit down and watch a match from start to end with any interest. I hit enough tennis balls in my life. I don’t need to see others hitting them as well.”
No plans to return to tennis
Barty retired when she was dominating tennis, having been top of the WTA rankings for 114 consecutive weeks, winning 15 singles and 12 doubles titles during her career.
The 26-year-old insists she has had no thoughts about making a comeback to the sport.
“I’ve no regrets about retiring,” said Barty. “Not one. I knew it was the right time for me. It was what I wanted to do. And I know that a lot of people may still not understand it.
“But I hope they respect that in the sense that it was my decision. And yeah, it’s been incredible. It’s been everything that I’ve ever wanted.”
“I definitely miss seeing my mates. We spent so much time together and all of a sudden I’m living in a different corner of the globe. But retirement has been a really seamless transition.
“Instead of spending a few hours on the practice court every day I just get into different routines. And because I knew it was coming for quite a while, there wasn’t much of an adjustment.”
Barty turning to golf?
Shortly after retiring from tennis, Barty won a local golf tournament in Brisbane which led to speculation as to whether she would swap the racquet for a club.
Barty had the fortune of playing at St Andrews ahead of The Open, which will begin on Thursday, but has no plans to turn it into a profession.
“Golf is a hobby and it always will be,” Barty added. “I know what it takes to get to the very top of any sport, and I don’t have the desire or want to do the work required
“I play golf for a good time and to have a good walk with people who I love. If I shoot a 70 or shoot a 100 it doesn’t matter to me.”
Barty on women’s tennis
With Barty gone, Iga Swiatek has taken up the mantle of world No. 1 with the French Open champion going in a 37-match winning streak until her third-round loss at Wimbledon to Alize Cornet.
The women’s tour seems to be more open than ever which Barty believes is down to the strength in depth across the top 50 players.
“Iga is an incredible talent, an exceptional human and a lovely girl,” Barty said. “I love her and her team, and I couldn’t be more proud that she took over the No 1 position, because she plays the sport in the right way and has so much energy and charisma.
“But the depth in women’s tennis at the moment is great too. We’ve come from having one or two players dominating to there being more unpredictability.
“That’s not because the tour is weak. In fact, it’s because the tour is so strong. Everyone in that top 40 to 50 bracket is so exceptionally good that week to week they could all be top 10 players.”
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