At 25, Ashleigh Barty reigned supreme on the tennis planet. Understandably, her retirement announcement is greeted warmly by Polish tennis fans, as it will allow their favourite, Iga Świątek, to sit on the throne of tennis this early spring.
"I just know at the moment in my heart for me as a person, this is right."
World No 1 Ashleigh Barty has announced her shock retirement from professional tennis at the age of 25. pic.twitter.com/LTV3QQGt8U
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) March 23, 2022
„They said it’s possible that I could become world No. 1 [but] it doesn’t make sense to really think about any of that at the moment […] We have to stay focused on our work,” said the semi-finalist of the last Australian Open shortly after Barty’s surprise announcement.
And as good news never comes alone, Ash Barty also made it clear that she did not want to keep her (many) accumulated points in the standings. It is an important factor given the fact that she is more than 2000 points ahead of her current runner-up.
"There is no better person to become World Number 1. She is incredible. I loved playing against her, practicing with her and spending time with her team. She totally deserves it."
Ashleigh Barty on Iga Swiatek pic.twitter.com/0r9wE75YC3
— We Are Tennis (@WeAreTennis) March 24, 2022
In order to secure her new number 1 rank, Iga Świątek had to win her second-round match in the Miami masters against the Swiss Viktorija Golubic. She did so in an authoritarian fashion last night by winning in two straight sets 6-2 and 6-0.
https://twitter.com/WTA/status/1507513458018996228?s=20&t=cqUH_WaVOYDug_Rmt_ynQA
Iga Świątek will be the first-ever tennis world number one player from Poland.
Image: Twitter @iga_swiatek
Author: Sébastien Meuwissen
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