"Federer, Nadal & Djokovic, these players are kind of freaks, their priority is always tennis. For Ashleigh Barty, her priorities have changed"- Mats Wilander
Tennis analyst and former pro Mats Wilander recently weighed in on top-ranked Ashleigh Barty's sudden retirement. The 25-year-old bid farewell to the sport after winning her third and final Grand Slam title at the 2022 Australian Open and spending 121 weeks at the summit of the rankings.
Congratulations on an incredible career, @ashbarty 💙
The tennis community, especially in Australia, will miss you dearly but is all the better for the standard you set as a person and a player.
Forever a world No.1 role model 🏆 https://t.co/oQ8HHgUFIJ
While Barty had enormous potential to add to her long list of achievements, Wilander pointed out how her decision can be attributed to her changing priorities in life. He went on to draw comparisons with the likes of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams, explaining that their greatness is a result of their undying passion to achieve more.
"We just have to realize that players like Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, these players are kind of freaks," Wilander remarked in an interview with Eurosport. “They just never, ever get enough. Their priority is always tennis and becoming better. I think for Ashleigh Barty, her priorities have changed.”
The seven-time Major winner further opined that staying away from home for several months last year and exhausting quarantine rules could have worn down Ashleigh Barty's enthusiasm. He pointed out how the world has changed since her first Grand Slam title, which came pre-pandemic in 2019 at Roland Garros.
"To be a professional tennis player during the last two and a half years of Covid," Wilander continued, "of having to sit in quarantine, of having to make the decision like she did last year, which is leave Australia for six, seven months in a row, that could kill your enthusiasm for anything in this life. The world is not the same place today as it was in 2019 when she won her first Grand Slam [Roland Garros]."
"I don't think there were many goals in the beginning of Ashleigh Barty's sports career"- Mats Wilander
While announcing her retirement, Ashleigh Barty revealed that she felt "spent" and didn't have the drive to compete at the highest level. Mats Wilander believes she played tennis for the love of the sport from an early age and didn't set many goals for herself as a professional player. He further opined that Barty perceived tennis as a "hobby" and therefore eventually lost interest in it.
"I think she played for the enjoyment of the sport rather than it becoming a job," Wilander said. "When I look at Ash Barty, I don't think there were many goals, in the beginning of her sports career. So I think she played tennis for the love of the game. And when it's for the love of the game, there is a chance that you lose interest at some point, just like other hobbies in life.”
Nothing but respect and admiration for @ashbarty. ❤️ https://t.co/tksVQDKHwv