Retired Australian Open champion Ash Barty is ready to ace motherhood.
The three-time Grand Slam singles champion announced the birth of her son with husband Garry Kissick on Instagram Tuesday, writing, “Our beautiful boy Welcome to the world, Hayden!”
It’s the first child for Barty and Kissick, an Australian professional golfer. They tied the knot in July 2022.
Barty, 27, retired from professional tennis two months after winning her home grand slam, the 2022 Australian Open, her third major after winning the French Open (2019) and Wimbledon (2021).
The former world No. 1 announced in January that she was expecting: “2023 set to be the best year yet. We are so excited for our new adventure.”
In November, Barty ruled out a comeback to tennis – “Nope, I’m done” – and said she was settling into life outside of the WTA Tour. “I never really felt like there was this void that needed to be filled in because there was a genuine sense of fulfillment at the end of my career,” she added.
Barty isn’t the only tennis star starting a family. Four-time Grand Slam singles champion Naomi Osaka is expecting her first child, a baby girl, with rapper Cordae. She said she plans to return to the 2024 Australia Open. (USAToday)