Barty coy on future after retirement

Speculations mount about what world’s top player will do after leaving tennis

BRISBANE:

Ashleigh Barty was coy about her future on Thursday, telling media "you'll have to wait and see" as speculation mounts about what comes next after her shock retirement from tennis.

The world number one and three-time Grand Slam champion stunned the tennis world on Wednesday by quitting aged just 25, saying she had fulfilled her dreams and was "spent physically".

It sparked an outpouring of praise for the down-to-earth Australian, led by Serena Williams.

Barty spoke publicly for the first time on Thursday since her announcement but repeatedly deflected questions on her future plans.

"You'll have to wait and see, I'm not giving you everything right now. It's alright, you can be patient. Patience is a virtue," she told reporters in Brisbane. "We'll see."

Barty previously walked away from tennis to play in cricket's Big Bash League, with local media speculating a return to the crease could be on the cards, or even becoming a professional golfer or playing Australian Rules.

"I have seen some brilliant photoshops as a jockey, lawn bowls," the multi-talented Barty joked.

"I love sport, I'm a sport nut like a lot of Australians are. I'll be lured to it. I have always been an athlete in the sense of trying different things, but we'll see how we go."

She did confirm she wanted to work more with Indigenous Australians and spend time with her mum and dad, calling herself "a homebody".

"I have always wanted to have the time to contribute more in other ways," Barty said.

"And I think now I have got that opportunity and I've been fortunate enough to have so many opportunities given to me from tennis, and now I'm ready to really give back in ways that I'm passionate about."

Marriage is on the horizon to long-term boyfriend Garry Kissick. A date has been set, but Barty would not say when.

In a social media message on Wednesday, Barty said achieving her life-time dream of winning Wimbledon last year changed her perspective and sparked retirement thoughts.

But her coach Craig Tyzzer admitted she had been thinking about it as far back as her breakthrough Grand Slam success at the French Open in 2019.

"The first thing she said to me was, 'Can I retire now?'. I sort of went, 'Hang on, I'm not ready for that,'" he said alongside Barty.

"It's not a shock to me. Ash does her own thing and when we started together she wanted to do it the way she wanted to do it. I think it's the right time."

Swiatek poised to be number one

Barty said Thursday that she will remove herself from the WTA rankings after announcing her retirement, opening the door for Poland's Iga Swiatek to become world number one.

The three-time Grand Slam-winning Australian has held top spot for more than two years but stunned the sports world on Wednesday by quitting at just 25.

The 20-year-old Swiatek is a massive 2,204 ranking points behind Barty, but there will be a new number one on Monday when the new list comes out and the second-placed Pole is in prime position.

Swiatek, who shot to prominence by winning the French Open in 2020 and has shown remarkable consistency since, told reporters at the Miami Open that she is trying not to think about it too much.

"They said it may be possible that I'm going to be world number one," she said.

"Honestly, when we really thought about the situation and when we read all the news, all the rules that may apply, we realised there's no sense to actually think about that right now because we have such a short time to prepare for another tournament.

"We've got to stay focused on our work."

Swiatek is currently 691 points ahead of third-ranked Maria Sakkari of Greece after winning at Indian Wells last week, her second title in as many tournaments after her triumph in Doha in February.

Speaking publicly for the first time since announcing her shock retirement, Barty told a press conference in Brisbane: "My name will be taken off the list in the next ranking.

"It's going to be an exciting time for the WTA Tour with a new number one and it's going to be a really cool period for them now.

"But we have done everything that we needed to on our side with them. We have worked with the WTA Tour and they have made my journey so enjoyable and made it really comfortable."