There have been a number of women’s tennis legends who have successfully juggled between their playing careers and motherhood. Icons of the sport including Kim Clijsters and Serena Williams returned to the tennis court after becoming mothers and continued to add glory to their already stellar careers. However, former world number 1 Ashleigh Barty will not have to do double duty after welcoming her baby to the world, thanks to her early retirement from the sport in 2022. Now, just days after announcing the birth of her child, the 27-year-old has received a wonderful message from American tennis legend Chris Evert.

Chris Evert posts a heartfelt message for Ashleigh Barty as she gives birth to a baby boy

Three-time grand slam champion Ashleigh Barty is still one of the most beloved athletes in the world of tennis, more than a year after her retirement. Therefore, when she announced the arrival of her newborn a couple of days back, the fans and the tennis fraternity alike couldn’t hide their excitement. Barty, along with her husband Garry Kissick, took to Instagram to share an adorable picture of their newborn son Hayden. Eighteen-time grand slam champion and legendary tennis player Chris Evert sent out a heartwarming message to Barty on this momentous occasion. “you just know @ashbarty is going to be a great mum..❤️❤️❤️”, she tweeted.

Ash Barty can certainly feel proud of this message, especially coming from someone like Chris Evert, who herself is a doting mother to three children – Alexander, Nicholas, and Colton. Evert’s motherly nature is prominent on the WTA circuit as well – the 68-year-old’s longtime mentorship of Ajla Tomljanovic is a burning example of this fact.

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Barty, on the other hand, will don the hat of motherhood for the very first time and will be a full-time mother to her son after creating shockwaves with her untimely retirement from tennis last year.

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Barty’s untimely retirement in March 2022 shocked the tennis world

Ash Barty stepped away from tennis when she was at the very top of her game, which came as a big surprise to the tennis community. She won the Australian Open in 2022 months before her retirement by ending Australia’s 44-year-long wait for a singles champion at the event. After staying at the top of the WTA rankings for 114 consecutive weeks, she bid adieu to the sport in order to fulfill other dreams away from the tennis court.

One of the reasons for her decision, as it turns out, may very well have been the desire to start a family. There’s no doubt Ash Barty will enjoy her new role as a mother, just as she so gracefully did on the tennis court.

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