(Reuters) – Retired Australian Open champion Ash Barty said on Friday she is pregnant with her first child, 12 months on from her triumph at the Melbourne Park major.
Three-times Grand Slam champion Barty, who married longtime partner Garry Kissick last year, said in an Instagram post that 2023 was “set to be the biggest year yet” with a picture of her dog alongside a pair of baby shoes.
“We’re so excited for our new adventure,” added Barty, who will be at the Jan. 16-29 Australian Open mentoring local hope Olivia Gadecki.
Former world number one Barty called time on her career last March, shortly after she ended her country’s 44-year wait for a home champion at the Australian Open.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Davis)