Ashleigh Barty reportedly planning to have another baby with return to tennis ruled out once more

Former world number one Ashleigh Barty is reportedly planning to have another baby instead of returning to professional tennis. The 28-year-old surprisingly announced her retirement from the sport back in 2022 at the age of just 26.

Some rumours on social media suggested that Barty might well be planning a return to the court after a gap of two years but a source close to her rejected those rumours and suggested that the Ipswich-born is instead planning to have another baby. “Ash is bursting to have another bub. With Hayden's birthday coming up, a surprise announcement could come at any moment,” the source said.

Barty had a very successful but short career at the highest level. The former world number one won three Grand Slams before calling it quits. Her first major triumph was the French Open in 2019 where she defeated Marketa Vondrousova in the final in straight sets with a score of 6-1, 6-3. She then went on to win Wimbledon in 2021 after beating Karolina Pliskova in the final with a score of 6–3, 6–7(4–7), 6–3. Barty’s last major triumph came in 2022 when she defeated America’s Danielle Collins in the final in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 7-6 to lift the Australian Open title.