Tennis
The world of tennis in shock
(Miami) The announcement of the retirement of world number 1, Australian Ashleigh Barty, took the tennis world by surprise, which multiplied reactions on Wednesday, dominated by wishes for success for her future.
Former world number 1 and 23 times Grand Slam winner, Serena Williams opened the ball of regrets: “I must admit that I was sad to read your decision, but I am also happy to know that you are going to write a new chapter of your life, ”reacted the American.
Another ex-N. 1, Japan’s Naomi Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam winner, revealed she heard the news early in the day, before taking to the court to play Miami and win her first-round match against another Australian, Astra Sharma.
“I feel really happy for her. I know last year was very difficult. She almost never returned home, ”responded Osaka, in tears during the last United States International and victim of great anxieties which she revealed.
For Osaka, last season “definitely affected” Barty, but “it was really inspiring to see how involved she was throughout the year. I think she can leave without regret,” added the Japanese.
For Britain’s Emma Raducanu, winner of the last United States Open, Barty’s retirement illustrates “how personal the goals and goals of the players are”. And she adds that “if you set a goal when you start playing tennis, once you are happy, it makes sense to finish well”.
American Danielle Collins, 11and world player, spoke about the financial gains of the players and felt that “it’s really cool to be able to retire at 25 years old. In what other profession could one do it? There aren’t that many. I think it’s amazing for our sport. It is unique, compared to other sports”.
Karolina Pliskova, beaten by Barty in the Wimbledon final last year, praised the Australian for “her incredible career”, and added that “it was a privilege to share a tennis court with you. We will miss you,” tweeted the ex-N. 1 Czech world.
Briton Andy Murray said he was “happy for Barty”, but “disgusted for tennis. What a player,” he wrote on Twitter. “’Ash’, I have no words…”, reacted the Czech Petra Kvitova, twice victorious at Wimbledon.
Romania’s Simona Halep addressed Barty directly: “’Ash’, what can I say, you know tears are running down my face? My friend, I will miss you on the circuit. You were different, and special, we shared so many amazing moments.
Halep also launched a hypothesis for the rest of Barty’s life, if she remains in the sport: “Victorious in a Grand Slam golf tournament? “. As for the ephemeral world number 1 Andy Roddick, he made it very short: “Wow”, on Twitter.
Finally, the association of players and supreme body of the women’s circuit, the WTA, thanked Barty “for the incredible mark you left on the court, off the court and in our hearts”.
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Sophia Jhon is a sports journalist and author. He has worked as a news editor for Sportish and is now a sport columnist for the same publication. Alberta’s professional interests lie largely in sports news, with an emphasis on English football. He has also written articles on other sporting topics.