Ashleigh Barty retired earlier this year just as Iga Swiatek was starting her rise and according to Annabel Croft, tennis is missing that rivalry.
Ashleigh Barty and Iga Swiatek's epic rivalry would have been a delight for tennis fans around the world but it never materialized. After winning the Australian Open, Barty announced her retirement earlier this year. At the time, she was unquestionably the top player in the world.
A couple of months later, Iga Swiatek established herself as the best player in the world and their rivalry would have been good.
“That would have been a great rivalry. It would have been a real cat-and-mouse rivalry.It might well have developed into one of the great rivalries and that’s something we have lacked in women’s tennis for quite some time," explained Croft adding:
“You would have very different skills, but both very talented and headstrong characters going up against each other. I guess we will never know (who would come out on top.”
Continuing her talk on Barty, Croft spoke about the way she retired, at the top of her game:
“It was just extraordinary, what a way to retire. She had won everything she wanted to win and for those of us covering the sport, we were devastated and sad. We all enjoyed watching her brand of tennis and her style, that creative artistry."
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