Ash Barty on why she’ll ‘never stop loving tennis’ and why she had to retire

Ash Barty sat down with her long-time friend and former tennis player Casey Dellacqua to announce her shock retirement from professional tennis. This is what they said.

Casey Dellacqua: “Ash, it’s always great to see you. I have a slight inkling I know why I’m here. Probably don’t want to acknowledge it. Why am I here today?”

Ash Barty: “I wasn’t quite sure how I was going to do this but I think so many times in my life, both my professional and my personal, you’ve [Dellacqua] been there for me. There’s no right way, there’s no wrong way. It’s just my way. And this is perfect for me to share it with you, to talk to you about it with my team, my loved ones that I will be retiring from tennis.

“And it’s first time I’ve actually said it out loud. And it’s hard to say. But I’m so happy and I’m so ready and I just know at the moment in my heart for me as a person this is right.

“I know I’ve done this before but in a very different feeling.

“And I’m so grateful to everything tennis has given me. It’s given me all of my dreams plus more.

“But I know that the time is right for me to step away and chase other dreams and to put the racquets down.”

Dellacqua: “Thank you for trusting me again. You’re an inspiration to so many and it can’t be easy but it also must feel nice to get it off your chest … Why now?”

Barty: “It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a long time.

“And I’ve had a lot of incredible moments in my career that have been pivotal moments.

“Wimbledon last year changed a lot for me as a person, and for me as an athlete when you work so hard your whole life for one goal. And I’ve been able to share that with so many incredible people.

“But to win Wimbledon which was my dream, the one true dream that I wanted in