Though Ash Barty walked away from professional tennis at the top of her game, few knew the toll her final seasons had taken on her body — and her mind. In a recent conversation on The Long Game podcast, Barty opened up about the long-term effects of injury-induced fatigue and the quiet journey of learning to rest without guilt.
“By the end of 2021, I was running on empty,” Barty admitted. “I’d push through pain, through exhaustion, because that’s what I thought champions were supposed to do. But it started bleeding into my life off the court — I was tired all the time and didn’t know how to slow down.”
The former world No. 1, who had battled chronic hip and shoulder issues throughout her career, revealed that even after stepping away from competition in 2022, it took nearly a year for her body to feel remotely normal again. More than physical, it was the mental unlearning that proved hardest.
“I didn’t realize how deeply I’d tied my self-worth to productivity,” she said. “Even in retirement, I’d feel bad about sleeping in or skipping a workout. It took time to rewire that voice in my head.”
Barty credits her husband Garry and her son Hayden with helping her reset her relationship with rest. “Garry reminded me that rest isn’t quitting. And being a mum — it forced me to be present, to slow down, and actually listen to my body.”
Now focusing on grassroots sports and community mentorship, Barty says she’s found peace in living without constant performance. “I used to fight my fatigue. Now I honour it. That shift changed everything.”
Behind the smile, there was struggle — but also healing. And for Barty, that might be the most important win of all.