Ashleigh Barty: Former women’s world No. 1 announces she is pregnant ahead of Australian Open

Former women’s world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty has announced she is pregnant.

Barty, 26, made the shock decision to retire from tennis in March 2022 shortly after winning the Australian Open.

In

, Barty said 2023 was “set to be the biggest year yet” along with a photo of her dog Origi with a pair of baby shoes.

“We are so excited for our new adventure,” wrote Barty, followed by a baby emoji.

Barty, who married long-time partner Garry Kissick last summer, was the first Australian champion in Melbourne for 44 years.

She is set to return to the Australian Open this month to help mentor fellow Queenslander Olivia Gadecki.

“To be honest, I think what has surprised me most is how comfortable I’ve been,” she told the New York Times in late December.

“I think there was probably a normal fear or uncertainty in not knowing what my life would look like after tennis after being so focused.

“I was a bit unsure how I would deal with that because I am a person who likes to be organised. There was probably a little bit of fear in that, but overall, that hasn’t been an issue, a concern or a worry.

“What’s been most surprising in a good way is that I’ve slipped quite seamlessly into this life that’s just like everyone else, which is kind of always what I wanted.

“The more time I’ve had to sit and think and absorb this year, I think it is never in the sense of me competing professionally again. But I’ll never not be involved in the sport. So I think that’s where I’ll always get my tennis fix, that taste of the sport that gave me so much.”

In Barty’s absence, world No. 1 Iga Swiatek will be the strong favourite to win the Australian Open, which starts on January 16.

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