ASH BARTY 'I HAD TO FOLLOW MY HEART'

Family life comes first for the beloved tennis star

- Lizze Wilson

Fittingly, in the end, Aussie tennis sweetheart Ash Barty delivered her one last parting shot with all the grace and charm of a true champion. At just 25 years of age, with an impressive $32 million in prize money, and 119 weeks as the world No. 1, the three-time Grand Slam queen has put down the racquets for the very last time, closing off one of the most remarkable chapters in Australian sporting history.

FAMILY OVER FORTUNE

Without any fanfare or fuss, on a picture-perfect autumn day in Queensland's great southeast, our Ash, as we've come to know her, sat with best mate and former doubles partner Casey Dellacqua, and through a river of tears, announced her shock retirement.

“I've given absolutely everything I can, I'm fulfilled, I'm happy and I know how much work it takes to bring the best out of yourself," she revealed in an emotional video she later posted on social media.