Caroline Garcia inspired by Ashleigh Barty's life and struggles, says she misses the former player
Even a year after her retirement from professional tennis, Ashleigh Barty continues to have an impact on people's lives. The latest to be inspired by the Australian star is Caroline Garcia, who recently thanked Barty and stated that she missed her on the tour.
Shortly after winning her third Grand Slam title — the 2022 Australian Open — Barty shocked the tennis world by announcing retirement at the age of just 25. The Aussie's first two Majors were the 2019 French Open and the 2021 Wimbledon. In July 2022, she tied the knot with professional golfer Garry Kissick and at the start of January this year, the couple revealed that they were expecting their first child.
Barty, who ended three consecutive seasons (2019-2021) as the World No. 1, released her autobiography 'My Dream Time: A Memoir of Tennis and Teamwork' in November 2022. And Garcia, the current World No. 5, recently took to social media to thank Barty for sharing her life stories.
"Thank you @ashbarty for sharing your tennis life. Being so honest and open about the struggles and great successes you went through. An inspiration. Miss to see you around mate," Garcia tweeted.
🏻
🏻
Thank you @ashbarty for sharing your tennis life
Being so honest and open about the struggles and great successes you went through 🙏🏻🙌🏻😍
An inspiration
Miss to see you around mate https://t.co/8X9nsVenYi
Caroline Garcia defeated 2023 Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka in the final of last year's WTA Finals. But the 29-year-old Frenchwoman has struggled since then, facing early exits at a bunch of tournaments.
Garcia lost to Magda Linette in straight sets in the fourth round of the Australian Open. That was followed by a 6-2, 6-7(5), 7-6(5) loss to Maria Sakkari in the quarterfinals of the Abu Dhabi Open.
Earlier this week, Madison Keys eliminated the fourth-seeded Caroline Garcia in the second round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
Daria Kasatkina playfully takes credit for Ashleigh Barty's transformation
Daria Kasatkina defeated Ashleigh Barty 7-5, 6-3 in their sole meeting, which came in the third round of the 2018 Wimbledon Championships. In her autobiography My Dream Time, Barty stated that she hit rock bottom with that particular defeat, given the fact that she was leading 4-1 in the first set. The Aussie even got into an on-court rant towards her coach Craig Tyzzer, which she later regretted.
Kasatkina recently reflected on the match, where she was lucky with numerous net cords, and joked that everyone should be grateful to her for helping with Ashleigh Barty's transformation.
"I remember that match and I would've had the same attitude because I had like seven or eight net cords on deuce or break points," Kasatkina said. "So I know how she was feeling. It was a good match but luck was on my side on that day. I understand what she means. Everyone can say thanks to me because after that, Ash was the big pain in the a** for everyone."
Kasatkina on her part suffered a second-round exit against Barbora Krejcikova at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships earlier this week.