Ash Barty opens up about the joys of motherhood for the first time as she reveals how baby Hayden has changed her life and explains why raising him is the hardest thing she’s ever done.
- Barty says motherhood is the best thing she’s ever done
- She says baby Hayden is ‘amazing’
- Barty and her husband enjoy life at home.
Retired tennis star Ash Barty has opened up about being a mother, saying that raising her newborn son Hayden is the best and hardest thing she’s ever done in her life.
The 27-year-old sensationally left the sport at the peak of her powers following her decisive victory at the Australian Open in January 2022.
In July, Barty took to social media to announce the birth of her first child with husband Garry Kissick.
“Welcome to the world Hayden!” her post read, accompanied by a photo of the newcomer wrapped in a blanket.
Now, for the first time since Hayden’s arrival, the Australian great has revealed how Hayden has changed his life in an eye-opening interview.
Ash Barty (pictured with her son Hayden and her dogs) says motherhood is the best and hardest thing she’s ever done.
Barty welcomed the birth of her first child with her longtime partner, Garry Kissick, in July.
“It’s the best thing I’ve ever done and the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” Barty said. news corporation.
‘Hayden is amazing, I feel so lucky. Garry and I are really enjoying what is a pretty quiet time together at home as a little family.’
Barty said the bond he has formed with Hayden is “incredible.”
“Having watched my sisters become mothers and spent so much time with their children, I had an idea of how it would feel, but it’s certainly on a different level when it comes to your own child, and it’s completely up to you! It’s pretty unbelievable,’ Barty said.
The tennis great has always been an early riser, and Barty confirms that nothing has changed since the arrival of her son.
“My hands are a little fuller now, but my morning walk is still my favorite part of the day,” she said.
‘The pack of dogs, Hayden and I all together and carrying on with the day!’
Barty went on to explain that she was only four years old when she first picked up a tennis racket, and that the sport quickly became her “first love”.
Barty says that she and her husband Garry enjoy some quiet time together at home with Hayden.
Former world number 1 says she came very close to quitting after winning Wimbledon in 2021
‘He was my first love, Hame; it consumed me every day; all he wanted to do was hit tennis balls.
‘Dad turned our garage into a house. He took some masking tape and put it at the exact height of a net. He would bang in that garage for hours and hours and hours, before school, after school.
‘When I wasn’t having a lesson because it was raining, I was in the garage. It was something that fascinated me and made me curious, trying to learn to master my craft, learning to compete against the wall and against myself.
Barty also revealed that he was “very close” to retiring after winning Wimbledon in 2021.
“Because it was a pipe dream and I had finally achieved it,” Barty admitted.
“As a kid, I thought, ‘Wouldn’t that be amazing? The last match of your career, Saturday afternoon on Center Court, the All England Lawn Tennis Club, and I leave the game on a high.”
‘There, there I was, and I was thinking: “Is this the best way to end? This is what I dreamed of.”‘
