Ashleigh Barty at the Sydney International WTA Players Cruise|RobPJKeating|CC BY-SA 2.0
World number one tennis player Ashleigh Barty sent shockwaves among the sports world by announcing her retirement at just 25.
The Australian took to social media on Wednesday, stating she has decided to retire to “chase other dreams.”
The three-time grand slam winner is the first home player to win the Australian Open in 44 years. Barty also takes credit for a long streak at the number one slab—for 114 consecutive weeks—following Steffi Graf, Serena Williams (both 186 weeks), and Martina Navratilova (156 weeks).
Messages and wishes from fellow tennis stars like Simona Halep, Andy Murray, Annabel Croft, and many others flooded social media on Wednesday following Barty’s retirement announcement.
