Iga Swiatek has described Ashleigh Barty’s retirement from WTA as a “great loss for the sport” and revealed whether she would imitate the Aussie icon to walk away from the sport at a young age.
Barty was just 25 when she called time on her impressive career in March last year after conquering the home slam, Australian Open. Her retirement in some way played a role in Pole’s rise as new WTA No. 1 as she went on to dominate the rest of the 2022 season by winning the French and US Opens while also compiling a 37-match win streak from February until July.
Talking to Poland’s SportoweFakty, Swiatek lauded Barty’s game and confessed that she was stunned by the three-time major champion’s early retirement decision as it had a major impact on her career that just started.
“I didn’t fully understand what had happened,” the Pole said. “Ash was the undisputed leader, she played the best tennis – even though I knew where she would hit, it was still difficult to cope with her shot.
“At first, her departure was an abstraction to me. I felt it was a great loss for the sport. I have great respect for her. Besides, I had an idea of what the end of her career would mean for me. I had been No 2 for just a few days, and suddenly there was an opportunity to move to the top of the rankings.
“It hit me hard because I never thought such a scenario would be possible. Today we live from day to day, we do not think about the future every moment. The thought comes to mind: ‘God, I could soon be the best in the world in my discipline’.”
The 22-year-old has proven over and over that she is a worthy of the WTA #1 rank as she has now clinched successive year-end World No. 1 finishes and is also a 4-time Grand Slam winner.
When asked whether she would consider following in Barty’s footsteps and retire in her 20s, she responded:
“No one knows what the future will bring. We can’t control everything,” she said. Ash had achieved so much that she had every right to take such a step. I don’t know if I would have the courage to make a similar decision. I would probably keep playing, keep trying.
“On the other hand, I know that each year can be more challenging. Currently, we have a lot of responsibilities outside the court, we are constantly observed and assessed.
“Nobody said that we have to play until the age of 35, when we will be able to walk because of the wear and tear on our bodies. The other thing is that I don’t want to let it wear out like that. That’s why sometimes I have to make difficult decisions, judged by others.”