World no 1 Ash Barty retires at 25, says time to 'chase other dreams'

In a surprise announcement, Ash Barty, the number 1-ranked player in women's tennis, announced her retirement from the game on Wednesday.

Barty, who is 25, had won the Australian Open just two months ago; it was her third Grand Slam.

Barty announced her retirement in a video uploaded on Instagram. She was quoted by Associated Press as saying "I'm so happy and I'm so ready. I just know at the moment, in my heart, for me as a person, this is right."

Barty noted it was time to "chase other dreams". She said "Ash Barty the person has so many dreams she wants to chase after that don't necessarily involve travelling the world, being away from my family, being away from my home, which is where I've always wanted to be... I'll never, ever stop loving tennis, it's been a massive part of my life, but I think it's important that I get to enjoy the next part of my life as Ash Barty the person, not Ash Barty the athlete," Reuters reported.

Barty even acknowledged she had left the game before. Barty was the Wimbledon junior champion in 2011, but left the game in 2014 for nearly two years, complaining of burnout.

Barty won 15 WTA singles titles and 12 in doubles. She spent 121 weeks as world number 1, including the last 114 weeks in a row. Barty had won 25 of her last 26 matches and three of her last four events.