Former world No 1 Ash Barty has announced she is pregnant with her first child.
The tennis champion retired after last year’s Australian Open and will not defend her crown in Melbourne later this month.
The 26-year-old revealed her baby news on social media on Friday night. Barty posted a photo on Instagram of her dog Origi with a pair of baby shoes.
“2023 set to be the best year yet. We are so excited for our new adventure,” Barty wrote in a caption including a baby emoji. “Origi already the protective big sister.”
Her partner, golf professional Garry Kissick, also posted on Instagram a photo of the baby shoes with the dog and a baby-sized Liverpool kit with the caption “Little Red, 2023” and a baby emoji.
Barty, a three-time grand slam champion, shocked the tennis world in 2022 by quitting the sport seven weeks after ending Australia’s 44-year singles title drought in Melbourne.
Her grand slam victories included the 2020 French Open, Wimbledon in 2021 and hometown success at the 2022 Australian Open.
Barty married Kissick in July last year when the 26-year-old exchanged vows in a private ceremony in Queensland.