Aussie tennis star Ash Barty shows off growing baby bump three months after announcing pregnancy

Retired tennis star Ash Barty has been spotted with her growing baby bump after delighting sports fans earlier in the year with news she is expecting her first child with husband Garry Kissick.

The 26-year-old grand slam champion was dressed comfortably in a T-shirt that showed off her blossoming belly as she walked through Brisbane Airport on Thursday morning.

Along with her luggage, Barty was also seen carrying the Aussie murder mystery novel Into the Night by Sarah Bailey.

The former world No.1 was on her way to Newcastle to launch the 2023 National Indigenous Tennis Carnival, which will take place from August 10 to 13.

The carnival is the pinnacle event for First Nations youth around Australia, and Barty was joined by proud Yuin nation woman Kyah Jones for the announcement.

The 26-year-old grand slam champion was dressed comfortably as she made her way through the terminal with a hit Australian crime book in her hand

Barty announced the happy news of her pregnancy on Instagram in January by sharing a photo of her Border Collie sitting next to a pair of baby shoes.

‘2023 set to be the best year yet. We are so excited for our new adventure,’ she captioned the post.

The baby news was greeted with joy by her friends from the sporting world, including runner Nedd Brockmann and tennis stars Johanna Konta and Priscilla Hon. 

The official accounts for the Australian Open, Tennis Australia and the Women’s Tennis Association also commented on the post.

The Wimbledon, French Open and Australian Open champion met Kissick at Brooklands Golf Club in Queensland in 2016 during a round on the links, and they have been together ever since.

Ash, despite being one of the best tennis players in the world, offers little insight into her life away from the sport – which she retired from last year at the age of 26.

Known for being famously private about her personal life and relationship, she opened up about Kissick in an interview with Vogue.

‘He’s extremely patient with me, and when we met he didn’t know a lot about tennis,’ Ash said.

Barty announced the happy news of her pregnancy on Instagram in January by sharing a photo of her Border Collie sitting next to a pair of baby shoes

The Wimbledon, French Open and Australian Open champion met Kissick at Brooklands Golf Club in Queensland in 2016 during a round on the links, and they have been together ever since

Kissick had been by Barty’s side throughout her tennis career, and was one of the first people she embraced after winning Wimbledon

‘He’s kind of been thrown in the very deep end in understanding what the tour is like and how much we’re apart … [But] he’s the best person to have around in the sense of switching off from tennis and being able to bring the fun and laughter.

‘I certainly wouldn’t want to share this journey with anyone else.’

Kissick had been by Barty’s side throughout her tennis career, and was one of the first people she embraced after winning Wimbledon.

The three-time Grand Slam winner stunned the world when she announced she was retiring from tennis last March.

Barty has been busy so far 2023 with her role as Chief of Inspiration at Optus, and has made appearances at the Australian Open and the Australian Grand Prix.

She is also writing a number of books and does community work with her role as National Indigenous Tennis Ambassador.