Ash Barty has admitted she felt like a “robot” as she opened up on her battles with depression before her shock decision to quit tennis.
The tennis star walked away from the sport back in March this year one month before her 26th birthday. At the time she had been ranked No.1 in the world, holding it for 114 consecutive weeks.
Just two months before her retirement announcement she had stormed to victory at her home Grand Slam, the Australian Open, and her reign as No.1 is the fourth-longest streak in the history of the WTA Tour.
However, in the tennis star’s forthcoming autobiography, My Dream Time, Barty reveals how the determination, drive and desire that helped make her one of the most successful players in the world started to wain after she won Wimbledon in 2021.
In an extract of her book, published by The Courier-Mail, the three-time Grand Slam winner recalled a moment after her victory at SW19 at her manager’s house on the Gold Coast.
“I don't know what I'm playing for anymore. I think I'm done … I have got nothing left, no spark,” she told her manager’s husband who was also her training partner.
“I see now that all sport is mountain climbing,” she continued.
'We set our sights on a summit and, step by step, we trudge towards that peak … But what do we do when we reach the pinnacle – when we finally win our Grand Final or our World Cup or our Wimbledon?
“Do we stop, sit, enjoy the view and breathe? Do we take the time to appreciate what we've done, and move on to something new?
“No. In sport, we simply return to base camp every year and begin the journey of attempting to summit once again.”
In her book, Barty also opens up about the battles of depression she faced, coinciding with her rise up the tennis rankings. With the expectation that was placed on her by fans she had to overcome periods of self-doubt and she admitted she would occasionally “fall to pieces” when it all boiled over.
She also admitted that once she had decided she would call time on her career early she fell into a “robotic” state, though that state of mind had helped to her Australian Open victory.
The tennis star also went on to say writing her memoirs was an emotional process, as she shared other unknown stories such as winning Wimbledon with a 10cm tear in her abdomen. She also looked back on the last time she quit tennis to play cricket, as well as how tough it can be on the tour as a teenager.
- My Dream Time by Ash Barty is set to be published in the UK on November 10
