The retirement of Ashleigh Barty hit Iga Swiatek pretty hard, as she described in a recent interview with Polish media.
Ashleigh Barty was at the peak of her tennis career when she announced her retirement. She had just won the Australian Open and was number one when she opted to do it.
It shocked many people, including Swiatek, though those close to Barty could have seen it coming. She doesn't mind tennis and competing, but traveling and being away from home was always pretty hard.
By the time she called it quits, she was already over all of that, so the decision was pretty easy. For Swiatek, though, it was hard to understand, at least at first. She talked about it with Sportowe Fakty.
I didn't fully understand what had happened. Ash was the undisputed leader, she played the best tennis - even though I knew where she would hit, it was still difficult to cope with her shot.
At first, her departure was an abstraction to me. I felt it as a great loss for the sport. I have great respect for her. Besides, I had an idea what the end of her career would mean for me. I was No.1 for just a few days, and suddenly there was an opportunity to move to the top of the rankings.
The void was quickly filled by a very strong Swiatek, who took the WTA Tour by storm. She deservedly became number one, though we didn't get the battle between them that so many tennis fans hoped for. Barty didn't and still doesn't regret it and seems quite happy with her life.
It hit me hard because I never thought such a scenario would be possible. Today we live from day to day, we do not think about the future every moment. The thought comes to mind: 'God, I could soon be the best in the world in my discipline'.
Nobody knows what the future will bring. We can't control everything. Ash had achieved so much that she had every right to take such a step. I don't know if I would have the courage to make a similar decision. I would probably keep playing, keep trying.
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