Ash Barty, the world No 1, has stunned the tennis world by announcing her retirement from the sport at the age of 25.
An emotional Barty delivered the bombshell news in an interview with Casey Dellacqua via her social media channels on Wednesday.
“Today is difficult and filled with emotion for me as I announce my retirement from tennis,” Barty wrote in a post on Instagram, alongside a video of the interview.
“I wasn’t sure how to share this news with you so I asked my good friend @caseydellacqua to help me. I am so thankful for everything this sport has given me and leave feeling proud and fulfilled.
“Thank you to everyone who has supported me along the way, I’ll always be grateful for the lifelong memories that we created together.”
More to follow.