Former world No.1 Ashleigh Barty is enjoying her retirement alongside her baby boy, all while maintaining close ties to tennis. Recently, the duo graced the Brisbane International, where they were spotted engrossed in the match between Sebastian Korda and Yannick Hanfmann.
Team Barty in the house today 🥹 🧡 @ashbarty pic.twitter.com/cs2IEJYvws
— Brisbane International (@BrisbaneTennis) January 2, 2024
The three-time Grand Slam champion Barty retired seemingly out of the blue, in March 2022. At the height of her career, while she was spending her 121st week at No.1, the then 25-year-old shocked the tennis world by leaving the sport to “chase after some other dreams.” In July 2022 Barty married her long-term partner Garry Kissick and a year later gave birth to her first child, a son named Hayden.
On Tuesday in Brisbane, the Australian sports icon was spotted enjoying tennis as a spectator at the Brisbane International alongside her baby and her mother Josie.
Victoria Azarenka on Ash Barty showing up in Brisbane:
“I saw Ash Barty today on TV. I don’t know if she’s still here.. She’s brought so much light to tennis in Australia & so much more excitement.I feel like we owe it to her to continue to improve tennis in Australia”🥹 pic.twitter.com/RQ8TzFlaYl
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) January 2, 2024
Fellow Grand Slam champion and tennis mom Victoria Azarenka was happy to see Barty at the tournament: “I saw Ash Barty today on TV. I don’t know if she’s still here or not. She’s brought so much light to tennis in Australia and so much more excitement. I feel like we owe it to her to continue to improve tennis in Australia and put on a good show.”
