Australian tennis ace Ash Barty has dropped a bombshell after announcing she is taking a break from the sport, effective immediately.
The 25-year-old, who won her third career grand slam title at Melbourne Park in January, will marry her fiancé Garry Kissick at some stage in 2022.
The couple will also continue to build their mansion in Brisbane’s west at Brookwater, having bought a vacant block for $882,000 late last year.
On Friday, Barty released a statement confirming she won’t be playing at the Indian Wells and Miami tournaments in the US from March 9.
‚Unfortunately my body has not recovered the way I’d hoped after the Australian Open and I have not been able to adequately prepare for Indian Wells and Miami,‘ Barty said.
Australian tennis ace Ash Barty has dropped a bombshell after announcing she is taking a break from the sport (pictured, with fiancé Gary Kissick)
Australia’s sporting queen delighted the nation when she won her third career grand slam at Melbourne Park in January
While having time off, Barty’s mansion will continue to be built at Brookwater in Brisbane’s west (pictured, where she is believed to be currently living until her new place is built)
‚I don’t believe I am at the level necessary to win these events and as a result I have decided to withdraw from both tournaments.
‚I love these events and am sad not to be there competing but getting my body right must be my focus.‘
Barty is believed to be working towards returning to the court when she represents Australia in the Billie Jean King Cup in mid-April.
Her triumph at the Australian Open as the number one women’s seed in January followed Barty’s breakthrough French Open success in 2019, as well as her victory on the grass at Wimbleton last year.
It is also not the first time Barty has taken a hiatus from tennis.
In late 2014, Barty announced she wanted to experience a ’normal life‘ away from the demands of the fulltime circuit and endless global travel.
The following year she signed a BBL contract with Brisbane Heat and showed plenty of promise as a cricketer before she was eventually coaxed back to tennis after a casual hit with good friend Casey Dellacqua.
Remarkably, by 2019 Barty was world number one on the official WTA tennis rankings.
Adored for her humble nature, she has astutely poured her millions into real estate in her native Queensland in recent years.
Besides her yet-to-be built mansion at Brookwater, Barty also owns property in neighbouring Springfield Lakes and Augustine Heights.
Brookwater is a residential community in Ipswich, and features a Greg Norman-designed golf course.
The exceptional sporting talent had a crack at cricket after quitting tennis in 2014, representing the Brisbane Heat in the women’s Big Bash League the following year
Barty’s mansion at Brookwater in Brisbane’s west is close to where she grew up in Ipswich (pictured, an artist impression of what the home may look like)
The 25-year-old was the toast of Australia after winning Wimbleton in 2021 (pictured)
In a promotional video released by Brookwater Residential, Barty said she ‚couldn’t imagine living anywhere else when not travelling the world.‘
‚You can hear the birds in the morning. You can see the sun rise. It’s just all those little things that make a home,‘ she said.
‚I love how low-key the lifestyle is here at Brookwater. That’s where I see myself forever.‘
According to Forbes Money List for highest-paid female athletes, Barty came in at number eight in terms of earnings in 2021.
She snared $3.9 million on court, mainly after winning at the All England Club last July, but also managed to collect $3 million away from the court from endorsement deals with the likes of Jaguar, Vegemite, Fila, Rado and Uber Eats.