"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
WTA
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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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."
Growing up in a household where soccer was king, my earliest memories are filled with chants from packed stadiums and the rhythm of a ball being passed across neighborhood streets. But somewhere along the way, the quiet elegance and raw emotion of tennis pulled me in. What began as a curiosity became a lifelong passion; not just for the sport itself, but for the stories it tells: of grit, of heartbreak, of improbable comebacks and human resilience.
As a tennis writer, I bring the observational lens of someone who didn’t grow up in the sport, but fell in love with it as an outsider; a perspective that lets me see both its technical beauty and its emotional depth. Over the years working with TennisUpToDate, I’ve had the privilege of reaching more than 3.5 million readers worldwide, with one of my features ranking among the site’s top three articles.
With a background in storytelling and a creative mind always searching for meaning beyond the scoreboard, I aim to craft narratives that go deeper than results and rankings. Whether it’s a rising star breaking through or a veteran fighting off Father Time, I try to capture the heartbeat behind the headlines.
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