We'll leave it here

So that's it, Ash Barty has spoken to the media following yesterday's retirement bombshell announcement.

The news may have come as a shock to many, but clearly based on what Barty and her coach Craig Tyzzer said, this was some time coming.

In fact, the revelation that Ash asked if she could retire after winning her first major, the French Open, back in 2019 means we should probably be even more thankful that she resisted any temptation at the time.

For those of us who stayed up in the overnight hours to watch her triumph at Wimbledon, and then roared our approval at the end of her brilliant Australian Open win, I suspect no one would want to have missed out on those memories and sporting highlights.

Clearly Ash Barty is ready for life after professional sport, and it seems likely that some sort of role working with Indigenous youth is on the cards.

Whatever the next chapter is, let's be thankful for the story so far.

From myself, Andrew McGarry, thanks for joining me for our blog of Ash Barty's press conference. Good afternoon.    

The press conference is over, and Barty is posing for pictures to mark the occasion.

The first impression left is of someone happy and relaxed with her decision.

The time was right — Barty has an upcoming wedding with her fiancee Garry Kissick, although she wouldn't say anything about when and where that might be!

Barty looking forward to catching up with Evonne Goolagong Cawley

That picture at the Australian Open with Evonne Goolagong Cawley and Cathy Freeman showed again the close relationship Barty had with Goolagong Cawley, the last woman to win the Australian Open. Barty says she rang her mentor to tell her her decision. 

I just called her and wanted to have a chat with her (after her retirement), and obviously she's been incredibly supportive as Roger has been as well. They're incredible people. I'm very lucky to have them in my corner.

Evonne always knows the right thing to say at the right time. She's always been there for me but never been in the way, she's never tried to impose herself. She's always been someone who has been there for me and I'm so grateful and I can't wait to spend a bit more time with her now. 

Family important for Barty

Obviously it's been in my thought process for a while. Like Ty said, we'd been chatting about it for a few months. They (may family) knew. It didn't make it any easier to tell them officially but they knew and they've been incredibly supportive of me and have been every step of the way my profession and that doesn't change for me as a person either.

Barty wants to give back to the community

I have always ... wanted to have the time to contribute more in other ways, and I think now I have got that opportunity, and I've been fortunate enough to have so many opportunities given to me from tennis.

Now I'm ready to really give back in ways that I'm passionate about and visiting Uluru and being up in the community was just incredible. That's what lights me up inside. That's what makes me happy, and we have done a few of those trips now and I can't wait to do a few more.

Tyzzer says it was never about the success

Tyzzer says the lesson for juniors watching Ash Barty is to be yourself - and that "you don't have to be number one in the world."

 You just need to be the best version of you, and that was really what we were about.

It was never about the success, it was just trying to find the best that Ash could be, and it turned out that she's the best there is.

So I think all people just need to sit back and look at that but, yeah, the journey's tough. It's not easy. I mean, it's extremely hard. 

What Ash has done is unbelievable, the amount of work she puts in, so it's not an easy journey, but, yeah, it's certainly fulfilling.

Aussie summer was for everyone else, 'not for her'

Tyzzer says Barty's summer of tennis was unbelievable.

It was really difficult to do the pre-season for the lead-up to the - for the Aussie summer circuit, and she just put her head down and went super hard. And I feel... The hardest thing was trying to motivate her to get a spark to go, "Hey, you need to be out there. "

'Cause her tennis and her mindset, she was so relaxed and so easy going with it all. It was almost like she didn't care whether she won or lost, but she obviously did.

But, yeah, like I said, I think the Australian summer was for everyone else and not for her.

Coach Craig Tyzzer says there 'wasn't much left after Olympics'

Barty's coach Craig Tyzzer is there, and he says that after she achieved her 'obvious goal' of winning Wimbledon "there wasn't much left in her'.

 I sort of felt she'd climbed where she needed to get to, and it was going to be a hard slog to keep her involved. Yeah, so I sort of felt it was coming, and we'd sort of discussed things.

I mean, Ash probably still remembers, but everybody after her first grand slam, French, I'd actually prepared this really - when we went down on court together, the first time I saw her, this speech about how profound this was gonna be, and what it meant to her.

The first thing she said to me was, "Can I retire now." I sort of went, "Hang on, I'm not ready for that.

Yeah, look it's not a shock to me.

Barty thankful for messages from players

"What I loved in the messages, it didn't mention the match, the time we spent together, it was more getting to know the athletes as people and the relationships we're building.

Some of our best mates I'll meet. I'm sure our paths will cross again, whether it's Down Under or overseas.

I think it's exciting for new challenges and new opportunities for all of us but, yeah, it was really nice to get so many incredible messages. I've been a very spoilt girl. 

Barty will always be lured by sport

I have seen some brilliant photoshops (of me) as a jockey, lawn bowls. I've seen a little bit.

Yeah. I love sport. I'm a sport nut, like a lot of Australians are. I'll be lured to it. I -- I have always been an athlete in the sense of trying different things but we'll see how we go.

Barty looking forward to opportunities with Indigenous youth

It's impossible to compare careers. Everyone's been so unique in their journeys and everyone's had different challenges along the way, but I know my contribution with the Aboriginal and Indigenous side of our sport will only grow.

I'm really excited for that, I'm really excited to have the opportunity to give Indigenous youth, Aboriginal youth around our nation more opportunity to get into the sport. That's something that we'll work on down the track but I am excited to spend more time in that space. 

Barty 'a home body'

I have always been a home body and this is where I retired, just where I got my energy from.

But I'm really excited to reacquaint myself with my mum and dad and sisters and nieces and nephews and spend quality time with them as a person.

Like I said, a new chapter for Garry and I and - yeah, it's gonna be a lot of fun.

Barty says she's 'never been a prisoner'

I have ... never, never been a prisoner. You know, I have so much love and support, and I'm so lucky to get so much love and support here in Australia, and so many people have made my career so much more fun, and being able to share that with them and experience that with them made it all the better.

I think the Australian public allowed me to be myself. They allowed me to make mistakes, they allowed me to be imperfect, and I - it just made it so much more fun, and it really did make that Australian Open so much more enjoyable for all of us to be able to go, "You know what? This is one last crack. Let's see what we can do."

Australian Open a brilliant way to finish

I think that moment [at Melbourne Park], I was fully engrossed. Fully engrossed.

It was such an incredible moment to share with so many people in the crowd. 

That crowd, the night - the final of the Australian Open was like nothing I have ever played in front of before and it was so much fun to enjoy that with them as well as my team but it was - yeah, a brilliant way to finish.

No secrets behind decision

Barty is being asked if there is any hidden reason behind her sudden retirement - she replies that she has said exactly what she wanted to say.

I'm an open book. I'm not hiding anything, I've got no secrets.

I am just so proud of all of the work that I have done with my team. We have done this together right from the start, have enjoyed every single minute and, like I said, we have no regrets.

We have achieved so much together and it's been fun on the way.

Wimbledon win 'changed a lot', says Barty

Barty refers back to her social media video with former partner Casey Dellacqua that revealed her decision:

Like I said, in the video that was released, after Wimbledon my perspective changed a lot and there was this beautiful challenge of trying to play the Australian Open and trying to win an Australian Open which was always another goal of mine.

"To do that as a team and to do that with the people that meant so much to me was incredible so it was just - there is no perfect way, there is no perfect timing but this was our perfect way, and it was a great finish. 

Ash Barty is speaking now

She starts by talking about a missed chance for a home Fed Cup tie in Australia.

That wasn't meant to be, that wasn't the case, and I just knew for me the time was right.

I'd given absolutely everything that I could to this sport, and I knew that it wouldn't be fair to my team and the people that have invested so much time and energy into my life to not be 100 per cent commit Ford them.

So it's been a hell of a journey. I wouldn't change a thing and I certainly have no regrets.

Down-to-earth Barty leaves as champion but also a much-loved personality