Former world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty and husband announce birth of son

Former world No. 1 and three-time grand slam champion Ashleigh Barty has welcomed her first child with her husband, Garry Kissick.

The pair announced the arrival of their son, Hayden, in a joint Instagram post Tuesday captioned “Our beautiful boy.”

“Welcome to the world, Hayden!” they wrote.

Last year, Barty stunned the tennis world by announcing she was retiring from the sport at age 25 while she was the world No. 1. Her retirement announcement came after she had won three grand slam titles in as many years – the 2019 French Open, Wimbledon in 2021 and the 2022 Australian Open.

“I know how much work it takes to bring the best out of yourself. I’ve said it to my team multiple times, it’s just I don’t have that in me anymore,” said Barty in March 2022 when she retired.

“I don’t have the physical drive, the emotional want, and everything it takes to challenge yourself at the very top of the level anymore, and I just know that I am spent. I just know physically, I have nothing more to give. That, for me, is success,” she said.

She added that she had been thinking about retirement for “a long time,” and the decision was cemented after winning Wimbledon and the Australian Open.

Those victories were “my perfect way to celebrate what an amazing journey my tennis career has been,” she said.

In total, she has won 15 singles titles and 12 doubles titles on the WTA Tour, and was the first Australian to win the Australian Open singles title since 1978.

But Barty’s prodigious talents are not just limited to the tennis court – she also played cricket professionally for the Brisbane Heat in the Women’s Big Bash League, and is a keen golfer.

In 2020, Barty won the women’s championship at the Brookwater Golf Club near Brisbane and 15-time major winner Tiger Woods once reportedly described her as having a “great swing.”