WORLD NUMBER 1 ASHLEIGH BARTY STUNNED the tennis world Wednesday by announcing her early retirement from the sport at the age of just 25, having won three major singles titles in the last three years.
Barty dropped the bombshell weeks after becoming the first home-grown champion of the Australian Open in 44 years, joining tennis royalty's most exclusive club with a Grand Slam crown on three different surfaces.
"Today is difficult and filled with emotion for me as I announce my retirement from tennis," she said in a video posted on Instagram.
