For Ash Barty, finishing as the number one in the world at the age of 25 is not as surprising as it would be for another player, writes Sakari Lund of Sport.
23.3. 16:40 • Updated March 23rd. 16:42
When the number one player in the world of tennis ends his career at the age of 25, it’s basically a real news bomb. Ash Bartyn even at this point, seeing the news startled me at first. After a while, it no longer seemed completely surprising to him. Barty is no ordinary tennis star.
The Australian has always done things his own way. He loves tennis, but in a way it’s not his whole life. His relationship with touring the world is different than most other players.
Barty succeeded in doubles at a very young age, he was in the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open finals in 2013 Casey Dellacquan with. At the time of these achievements, he was 16 to 17 years old. A year later – at just 18 years old – Barty announced he was taking a break from tennis. He said then that “it was too early and I want to experience the normal life of a teenage girl.” He didn’t live a perfectly normal teenage girl’s life even then, as he played cricket at the top level.
Barty returned to the tennis courts in 2016 and quickly rose to the top in doubles. He won the French Open 2019, the Wimbledon last summer and the Australian Open earlier this year. Barty has clearly been the number one player in the world lately.
Barty’s style of play has been a refreshing exception on the WTA tour in its versatility. He’s not a tall player, but he has an excellent pass. An integral part of Barty’s game is the lower-pitched knuckle, with which he also builds places in the palm of his hand.
In recent years, Barty has made his own decisions regarding his schedules. Of course, they have been affected by a lot of the corona pandemic. The tournaments took a break due to the pandemic in March 2020. When they resumed in August, Barty did not return to the tournaments but was out of the tournament for the rest of the year.
Australia is far from most tournament venues and there have been strict interest rate rules. It has made Bartynk’s tour life more difficult. In 2021, he made the decision to tour the tournaments and be away from home for virtually the entire year. However, he missed the rest of the year after the US Open.
He didn’t lose a match this year either. Wins from the Adelaide and Australian Open were the final matches of his career. Barty got into the same caste Pete Samprasin as the player whose last match was a Grand Slam tournament win.
Barty announced his decision in a “barty” manner, releasing a video in which his good friend Dellacqua interviewed him. Barty said he doesn’t have the physical or mental resources to challenge himself as much as being on top.
Winning Wimbledon was a big dream for Barty. When he reached it last summer, it was already starting to bring to mind thoughts of quitting. Another dream, the Australian Open win in January, was then the final confirmation to Bart that his career could end.
“There’s no right way, there’s no wrong way, it’s just my way,” Barty said.
However, friends of good tennis can live with the hope that Barty’s spark would ignite again. No matter how much time there is for age.