"It was a huge blow to the sport" - Annabel Croft on Ashleigh Barty retiring

Ashleigh Barty retired from tennis earlier this year after winning the Australian Open and it was a shock to many.

It was shocking because she did it at a time when she was dominating the sport fairly convincingly. Most players retire when they can't play anymore and definitely not on top, but Barty was always different. She never claimed to want a long career, she never aspired to subordinate every part of her life to tennis and ultimately she didn't.

Speaking about her retirement, former British number one Annabel Croft admitted it was a blow for the sport:

“She showed everyone how to end a career on a real high after winning the Australian Open and retiring right away, but it wasn’t great for women’s tennis. It was a great story. She took time to reach the top, had some time playing cricket and now she wants to do something else."

Croft continued:

“Clearly she has other interests in life, but it was a real blow for our sport when she retired as she brought so much to the game. There was so much to admire in her game and so much for the younger generation to learn from her, so so it is a shame she won’t be around. She wants to do other things in life. Maybe become a Mum, experience new things, so we can only wish her the best.”