Curious Case of Ashleigh Barty and Her Next Move

Despite claiming the top position, she refuses to come back to tennis citing her lack of preparedness as the reason. For the past eighteen months, she hasn't won titles of any kind which should've been enough to shift the power to the very consistent Naomi Osaka, winner of four Grand Slam singles titles in the past three years. But why is Australian Ashley Barty still at the center of the tennis spotlight?

Ashleigh Barty's Other Interests

Ashleigh Barty soon got bored of playing tennis and left the court. She waltzed into the world of cricket at the Women’s BBL. Soon after she reentered tennis to win the 2019 French Open and her consistency earned the top spot in the WTA rankings. After a long period of the pandemic, Barty picked up her golf clubs and claimed the Brookwater Golf Club women's title near Brisbane on a course designed by Greg Norman. Furthermore, she deliberately stayed away from tennis to stay away from international travel to ensure the health and the safety of her family and team.

A rule in tennis called modified protective ranking entails players with both injuries and unwillingness to play citing health concerns that would let them retain points earned in 2019 despite not participating in tournaments in 2020. If they did show up, their points depended on their performance at the current edition of the tournament. Although Barty handled it well, her peers Simona Halep and Naomi Osaka struggled. Barty has been ranked number one in the world since September 9, 2019. Since then she has only won one tournament in October 2019 at Shenzhen and her next title at Yarra Valley bore arrived a year later.

The World Number One's Next Move

Ashleigh Barty announced her upcoming plans that surprised everyone including her fans. She will produce a series of children’s books as her first project after her retirement in March 2022. In addition, she also disclosed her intent to marry her long-time partner Garry Kissick sometime in 2022. Reports suggest she might return to golf, cricket or even in the AFLW.

Barty's series will be called 'Little Ash’ which is an adaptation of her real-life experiences on and off the tennis court. The six-book series will be available for purchase in July and is already promoted by publisher HarperCollins. She also wants to write a memoir of her career in the latter part of the year.

The three-time Grand Slam winner was inspired by her five-year-old niece Lucy. “Lucy was my north star. She is the perfect age to understand stories and story-lines and read chapter books. Being able to read it to her will be great and to go up to readings to kids in rural areas is something I want to be really hands-on with,' quipped the former tennis star.

Ash Barty to Tie the Knot with Long Time Partner

The tennis star became engaged to Kissick in 2021 and in the following February, she stated that her wedding will be as low-key as her engagement. “It will be very low-key, very small, pretty chill, for Garry and I just the people we love the most, people who have been impactful and important in our lives. My nieces and nephews will be front and center, I wouldn’t live it down if they weren’t, they will be dress shopping before I will be," said Barty. She also hopes to get married this year alongside her numerous career pursuits.