For Ash Barty, Less is Enough

In a tennis era defined by the relentless pursuit of more—more titles, more records, more time—Ash Barty has dared to be satisfied with less. When the 25 year-old Australian announced her retirement from tennis yesterday, the shockwaves were predictably seismic, but only because we’d forgotten that Barty—more than any other tennis player in recent memory—has never resided within the parameters reserved for tennis’ superior practitioners. Neither breakout star nor late bloomer; neither record-breaking prodigy nor time-tested champion, Barty reached the pinnacle of tennis in singular fashion; it should be no surprise, then, that she’s exiting the sport in the same way.

A Wimbledon Junior Singles Champion at 15, Barty so seamlessly transitioned into a skillful doubles player that it was assumed she’d found her niche. She abruptly quit tennis at 18, and flirted with a career in cricket, only to come back a couple of years later, and begin steadily climbing the singles rankings, all the way to the top spot by age 23. She’s won major titles on the sport’s three premier surfaces—grass, clay, hard court—owns tennis’s most coveted prize, Wimbledon, and, just 2 months ago, gave the Australian Open its first home-grown champion, man or woman, in 44 years. And now, at just 25, she says it’s enough.

Tennis, of course, wants more. It’s not just that she is still so young, but that Barty’s inventive brand of tennis was a welcome antidote to the hard-hitting baseline games wielded by her contemporaries. She had the power when she needed it, but it was her ability to diffuse power with perfectly executed slices and spins, delicate dropshots from baseline and net alike, her seemingly bottomless variety, that baffled her opponents. Much like her tennis, Barty's on-court demeanor harkened back to a bygone era. She may have been the least showy champion tennis has seen in a while; grunting, racket-throwing, or fall-to-knees exuberance were not her stock and trade. A shy smile at the net and a nod to the cheering crowd was plenty.

Barty conquered a sport in which age-defying longevity has become the new normal. That Serena Williams has the most major titles, and isn’t finished yet, and Rafael Nadal has the most Roland Garros titles, and hopes for more, stands in stark contrast to Barty’s worldview. She has found, she says, both gratification and satisfaction in a brief span of years during which she accomplished all she set out to do in tennis. Why dream of more—when you already have it all?

Image Credi: Getty Images