Ash Barty is a mum! Aussie tennis legend welcomes a ‘beautiful’ baby boy – and shares an adorable first picture
- Barty quit tennis at the peak of her powers in 2022
- She and husband Garry Kissick welcomed baby boy
Retired tennis star Ash Barty has given birth to her first child, Hayden, posting an adorable photo to her legion of fans.
The 26-year-old sensationally quit the sport at the peak of her powers following her watershed Australian Open win in January 2022.
‘Our beautiful boy. Welcome to the world, Hayden!,’ her husband Garry Kissick posted on Instagram on Tuesday night.
The official Australian Open tennis social media page responded with a heartwarming message saying it was Barty’s ‘greatest triumph. Congratulations.’
Not to be outdone, Wimbledon asked ‘Future Wimbledon champ? Congratulations!’
Retired tennis star Ash Barty has given birth to her first child, Hayden (pictured), posting an adorable photo to her legion of fans
Unlike a lot of former professional athletes, Barty has absolutely no regrets about her decision to retire.
‘To be honest, I think what has surprised me most is how comfortable I’ve been,’ she told the New York Times six months ago.
‘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 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.’
Despite retiring from professional tennis, Barty had a busy year in 2022.
She married longtime partner Mr Kissick, released her memoir My Dream Time and also launched her Little Ash range of children’s books with Jasmin McGaughey and Jade Goodwin.
Barty intends to stay involved with tennis by starting an elite academy in Australia with Jason Stoltenberg and Craig Tizzer, and says she’s interested in mentoring but not coaching junior players.
‘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,’ she said.
‘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.’
More to come…
Ash Barty (pictured right) and her husband Garry Kissick (left) have welcomed baby Hayden
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