It's been almost three weeks since Ashleigh Barty retired from professional tennis, but she's still closely followed wherever she moves; this time, it was a surfing event at Bells Beach.
The Australian was on course to become one of the most successful tennis players in history, but she ended her career early. The WTA Tour, therefore, lost its brightest star, but it seems that a new one may appear soon as Iga Swiatek currently leads the WTA Rankings.
Barty, who won three Grand Slam titles in her career, is a well-known supporter of surfing and as she has more time to spend off the courts, she has enjoyed a surfing event at Bells Beach to see some of her friends.
It's one of a few public appearances in the recent weeks from the Australian. She's still closely followed, as many tennis fans still want her to come back to tennis, but that doesn't seem to be a possibility. At the event she also talked to media.
"This is unreal, the first time for me coming down here, a beautiful part of the world, and get to watch a few mates do their thing – it’s pretty cool. It’s nice to be here and watch the pros do their thing, and I get to enjoy it as a fan."
It's clear that the retirement brought Barty multiple things that she was not able to enjoy before, one of them being free time which she is now able to dedicate to things that she likes and enjoys, one of them being surfing.
Soon enough, many fans will likely understand that this is the path that the Australian chose, and her comeback won't be expected, anticipated, or requested anymore. Barty achieved a lot in her career, and even after ending it early, she's one of the most successful Australian tennis players ever.
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