Ashleigh Barty announced her retirement from tennis in the manner that she so often played the sport: on her terms.

The world No. 1 broke the news in an interview with close friend and former doubles partner Casey Dellacqua on Tuesday, admitting that she was “absolutely spent” and that she "physically had nothing more to give”.

“It’s the first time I’ve said it out loud and, yeah, it’s hard to say, but I’m so happy and I’m so ready,” Barty said. “I know at the moment in my heart for me as a person this is right.

"I’m so grateful to everything that tennis has given me. It’s given me all of my dreams plus more, but I know the time is right now for me to step away and chase other dreams.”

Barty, who turns 26 next month, won three Grand Slam titles on as many different surfaces, claiming the titles at 2019 Roland Garros, 2021 Wimbledon and the 2022 Australian Open.

She ended a 44-year-wait for a home-grown champion at January’s Australian Open but it was her triumph at Wimbledon last year, when she emulated the triumph of her idol Evonne Goolagong-Cawley 50 years previously, that truly shifted her priorities.

“To be able to win Wimbledon which was my dream, my one true dream that I wanted in tennis, really changed my perspective,” she said.

“I just had that gut feeling after Wimbledon. I had spoken to my team quite a lot about it and there was just a little part of me that wasn’t quite fulfilled. Then came the challenge of the Australian Open. That for me just feels like my perfect way to celebrate what an amazing journey my tennis career has been. As a person, this is what I want.”

Barty, who initially quit tennis to play professional cricket in 2014, guaranteed her place in the history of the sport with her achievements on her return 17 months later - collecting her first three major titles and climbing to the top of the rankings.

As well as winning 15 career titles and amassing over $23million in prize money, Barty has held the No. 1 ranking since winning her first Grand Slam title in Paris in June 2019 – a run of 114 consecutive weeks.

She stands behind only Steffi Graf and Serena Williams (both 186 weeks) and Martina Navratilova (156) in time spent in the top spot.

A proud Australian, Barty won a bronze medal alongside John Peers at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and led Australia to the 2019 Billie Jean King Cup Final (then known as Fed Cup) on home soil in Perth. She played 11 ties for her nation overall between 2013 and 2019, compiling an 11-2 record in singles and 7-2 in doubles.

Barty, adored and hugely respected by her peers, fans and the wider sporting world, leaves a gaping hole in her absence but a bucketful of memories and a sport far better off for her contribution.

The phrase she signed on a camera lens after her last professional triumph at the Australian Open seems even more apt now. So, one last time... 

Ash Barty: ‘You beauty’.