We all know Ash Barty as an incredible athlete who won the hearts of Australians everywhere, but what about the tennis star’s life away from the sport?
Since retiring from tennis in 2022, Ash has been busy building a family of her own.
Ash Barty achieved so much in her professional tennis career, despite it being relatively short.
She was ranked world number one for a total of 121 weeks, and won three grand slam titles.
Ash first won the French Open in 2019, followed by Wimbledon in 2021, and in a final we’re sure all of Australia will remember, she won the Australian Open in 2022.
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At just 25 years of age, and as a shock no one really saw coming, the former world number one announced her retirement from tennis just two months after winning the Australian Open.
Ash won the Australian Open in 2022.
(Getty)Following her retirement, Ash said, “I achieved my dreams. Everyone has different dreams and different ways of defining success. But for me, I knew that I gave everything I could, and I was fortunate to live out my ultimate childhood dream.
“Now it was time for me to explore what else was out there and not be, I suppose, greedy in a sense of keep playing tennis because that’s what I was expected to do, and then you blink and maybe the other things have passed you by.”
As it turns out for Ash, one of those things she didn’t want to miss out on was starting a family.
In July 2022, the tennis player announced her marriage to golfer and long-term partner, Garry Kissick.
The pair met in 2016 while playing a round of golf in Queensland, where they apparently clicked instantly. Ash and Garry have kept their romance relatively low-key since.
But excitingly, in January 2023, Ash announced the couple were expecting a bundle of joy!
“2023 set to be the best year yet. We are so excited for our new adventure 👶🏼💫,” Ash wrote in her Instagram announcement.
Baby Hayden was born in July 2023.
(Instagram)Ash and husband Garry welcomed their first child, a beautiful baby boy named Hayden, on 3 July 2023 and have since shared the sweetest moments as a family of three.
Speaking to News Corp in 2023, Ash opened up on the joys of motherhood, saying, “It’s the best thing I’ve ever done, and hardest thing I’ve ever done.
“Hayden is amazing, I feel so very lucky. Garry and I are really just enjoying what is a pretty quiet time together at home as a little family.
“Having seen my sisters become mums, and spending so much time with their kids, I had some idea of how it would feel, but it’s certainly at a different level when it’s your own child, and they are completely dependent on you! It’s pretty incredible,” Ash said.
We love seeing Ash enjoy her newest life venture as a mum.
