"Today I want to pursue other dreams." Ashleigh Barty, the best tennis player in the world, announces her retirement at the age of 25 The athlete announced her decision in a video that she uploaded to her Instagram profile and in which she explains to her partner and friend, Casey Dellacqua, the reason for her decision.
By Eduardo Scheffler Zawadzki Edited by Eduardo Scheffler Zawadzki
This article was translated from our Spanish edition.
This is not the first time it has happened: a high performance athlete retires in what seems to be the best moment of his career. Today Ashleigh Barty , the tennis player who for 114 consecutive weeks was considered the best in the world , announced the end of his career.
The Australian athlete surprised the entire world by posting a video of more than six minutes on her Instagram account in which she talks with her friend and doubles partner, Casey Dellacqua, about her retirement and the complexity of her decision: "I didn't know well how was I going to do this… there is no right way or wrong way, just my way of doing it. This is perfect for me: to talk to you, to share it with you, with my team and my loved ones (about the fact that) that I am retiring from tennis… it is the first time that I have said it out loud and it is difficult to do it, but I am so happy and so prepared, that I only know that in my heart and for me as a person, this is the right thing to do."
Questioned by Dellacqua about her decision, Ashleigh Barty explains that the process has been complex. For a long time, winning Wimbledon was her only goal as an athlete and as a person, and once she achieved it, her perspective completely changed: "Today I want to pursue other dreams... and I'm very excited." The athlete, winner of three Grand Slams (Roland Garros in 2019, Wimbledon in 2021 and the Australian Open in 2022) and an Olympic bronze medal, explains: "For me, success is knowing that I gave everything I could. That requires effort and, I talked about it many times with my team, I don't have that anymore; I no longer have the physical drive, emotional desire and everything else you need to challenge yourself to the highest level. I am exhausted ".
The frankness of the athlete is touching. The post has been viewed more than 1.6 million times and more than 210,000 likes.
Tomorrow the athlete will give a press conference.
