Just months after the star announced her retirement from tennis, champion Ash Barty has revealed her next big project – a baby!
“She made her mark, made her money and chose this life instead,” commented one fan of the 26-year-old star’s decision to swap the court for changing nappies.
Taking to Instagram to share that she and professional golfer husband Garry Kissick, 32, are expecting their first child, Ash gushed, “2023 is set to be the best year yet. We’re so excited for our new adventure.”
“2023 is set to be the best year yet.”
(Image: Instagram)And while the Aussie sports star gave no further details on her pregnancy, fans couldn’t but notice the emoji Ash chose to accompany her sweet post seemingly gave away bub’s gender – a baby boy!
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Dad-to-be Garry already seems keen to ensure the little guy is sporty like his parents. “Little Red, 2023,” he wrote alongside a pic of a mini jersey from his beloved UK Premier League Liverpool Football club while announcing the baby news on his own Instagram.
Three-time grand-slam winner Ash, who announced her shock retirement from tennis last March, is believed to be due mid-year.
Hopefully the little bub is the next sporting legend!
(Image: Instagram)NESTING TIME
And there’s no doubt she’s now busy nesting at the couple’s brand new dream home they’ve built in the exclusive gated community of Brookwater in Ipswich, Queensland. Ash has gushed about the leafy place the couple – who wed in July last year – have chosen to raise their growing family.
“[I] couldn’t imagine living anywhere else when not travelling the world,” says the Aussie star, who has turned to writing children’s books since retiring.
“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 a home. I love how low-key the lifestyle is here at Brookwater. That’s where I see myself forever.”
“That’s where I see myself forever.”
(Image: Instagram)And Ash – who’s worth more than $36 million thanks to her extraordinary sporting career – will have built-in babysitters nearby, with her parents and sisters living just down the road.
“Family before anything and everything – that’s what we were taught,” says the sporting great, who already dotes on her nieces and nephew.
“The kids come over all the time,” says the mother-to-be, who onlookers said was a natural with the little ones on her book tour last year for her Little Ash series.
“You could tell how much she enjoyed dealing with the kids,” says a source. “It wasn’t a chore you could just imagine her being a great mum.”
A BABY BARTY PARTY
While the humble star’s renowned for being down-to-earth, insisting, “I’ve got everything I need,” in 2019 – after pocketing $6 million for a single tournament and denying she’d treat herself with the winnings – sources say friends insist she celebrate her news with a baby shower!
According to an insider, Ash’s best friend, fellow former tennis player Casey Dellacqua, 37, is leading the charge. “Can’t wait for bubba to join the brood,” gushed the mum-of-three after Ash’s announcement. “So excited.”
Now she’s throwing herself into planning a bash fit for an Aussie sporting legend! “They won’t spare any expense,” says the source. “Ash deserves the world, everyone around her is so very happy”.
