After Australian tennis star and world number one Ash Barty shocked the world by announcing her retirement from the sport, people have had questions. The 25-year-old released a statement on Instagram on Wednesday, revealing that she’s walking away from tennis less than two months after winning the Australian Open.
On Thursday, Barty spoke to reporters and said she “wasn’t hiding anything” and simply felt that it was time to step down.
“I’ve said exactly what I wanted to say,” she said.
“I’m an open book. I’m not hiding anything, I’ve got no secrets. I am just so proud of all of the work that I have done with my team.
“We have done this together right from the start, have enjoyed every single minute and we have no regrets. We have achieved so much together and it’s been fun on the way.
“I just knew for me the time was right. I’d given absolutely everything that I could to this sport, and I knew that it wouldn’t be fair to my team and the people that have invested so much time and energy into my life to not be 100 per cent committed for them.
“It’s been a hell of a journey. I wouldn’t change a thing and I certainly have no regrets.”
While she hasn’t revealed her next steps, we do know that Barty is set to tie the knot sometime soon, and curiosity has spiked about who she’s marrying.
On November 23 2021, Barty announced her engagement to longtime partner Garry Kissick on social media, and she couldn’t look more thrilled. Kissick, who supports Barty at all of her matches, is also an athlete, but instead of hitting a tennis ball, he prefers the art of golf.
The pair first met at Brooklands Golf Club in Queensland back in 2016, where Kissick is a PGA trainee professional golfer. It didn’t take long for sparks to fly and six years later, the couple is still going strong.
According to Kissick’s LinkedIn profile, he started out at Brooklands Golf Club over 10 years ago in golf operations maintenance but worked his way up the corporate ladder to become PGA Trainee Professional in 2018, a position he has held ever since.
Barty may be keeping her lips firmly sealed about what she plans on doing next, but we can confidently say that whatever it is, Kissick will be standing by her side.
