Australian tennis great Ash Barty has announced the birth of her first child. She and her husband, Garry Kissick, posted a photo to social media on Tuesday night, writing, “Our beautiful boy ❤️ Welcome to the world, Hayden!”.
Barty’s son was born in the early days of this year’s Wimbledon event, which she famously won two years ago. Wimbledon’s account quickly called out the coincidence, commenting on Barty’s post: “Future Wimbledon champ? Congratulations!”
One of Australia’s favourite athletes, Barty is a three-time major champion, former world No. 1 and the nation’s first to win the Australian Open in 2022 after a decades-long drought. She also won the 2019 French Open, is a former Young Australian of the Year and a former NAIDOC Sportsperson of the Year.
Last March, she announced her shock retirement from professional tennis, saying she felt fulfilled having won Wimbledon, and that the Australian Open win was the icing on the cake for her career. Barty, who was 25 at the time, had also expressed that she wanted to give back to the community and spend more time with her family.
Speaking to whether she would ever consider returning to the sport, Barty said, “I’m never one to absolutely say never, never, never. But, yeah, it feels like it’s closed.”
“I feel like I’ve given absolutely everything to the sport and there is nothing more for me to give. But I know that tennis will always be a massive part of my life.”
In July last year, she and Kissick were married at a private Queensland ceremony, and in January, Barty announced she was pregnant, saying, “2023 set to be the best year yet. We are so excited for our new adventure”.