"A big part of my passion now is to encourage boys and girls to be comfortable in themselves" - Barty opens up about body image struggles in new book

Retired Australian tennis star Ashleigh Barty opened up about dealing with the body image issues in her book. Barty, a former three-time Grand Slam champion, announced a shock retirement from tennis earlier this year at the age of 25.

In her book entitled 'My Dream Time: A Memoir of Tennis & Teamwork.' - which is set to be released in November - Barty opened up about some of her struggles and explained what prompted a shock retirement from tennis at a very young age.

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“I went through that like a lot of people do and a big part of my passion now is to encourage girls and boys to be comfortable in themselves," wrote Barty in her book. "It helped me realize that imperfections are part of all of us and they are OK.

"By sharing some of my insecurities hopefully it can help them realize a lot of people go through it. This is a very common issue. I had enough issues just being a girl in the world."

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"Fire died inside" - Barty reveals moment that forced retirement

Last year, Barty achieved her childhood dream by winning Wimbledon. The Queensland native revealed in her new book that she could no longer find motivation, a fact that was evident in her playing only five tournaments after her Wimbledon victory.

“Winning Wimbledon was the single thing I wanted my whole career. But after that feat, in June 2021, the fire died inside," said Barty. "I don’t know what I’m playing for anymore. I think I’m done. I have got nothing left, no spark."