Ashleigh Barty’s retirement announcement on Wednesday shocked her fans who had hoped the world number still had a long way to go in her career. However, there are multiple big names in Tennis who quit the sport in their prime. 

Barty quit the sport at the age of 25 after winning two grand slams — French Open in 2019 and the Australian Open in 2022. She had also played professional cricket while she took a brief break from Tennis.

Here are some Tennis stars who called it quits early in their career: 

Martina Hingis

The Swiss player announced her retirement from the sport in late 2017, however, she also started off at a young age. Hingis became the youngest Grand Slam title holder when she was 15 years old after winning the women’s doubles Wimbledon final.

Also Read | I’ll always be grateful: Ashleigh Barty announces retirement from Tennis

Marion Bartoli

The French Tennis player is said to be at the top of her game at the age of 28, having secured a victory at the 2013 Wimbledon finals. She had also just matched her career-high No. 7 ranking. She had played in Toronto and lost her one match to Romanian Tennis legend Simona Halep at Cincinnati.

Also Read | Ashleigh Barty retirement: Why did she quit tennis?

Bjorn Borg

The list would be incomplete with mentioning renowned Swedish Tennis player Bjorn Borg, who terminated his career in 1993. Still considered to be one of the most influential former Tennis athletes, Borg won his first grand slam at just 18 years of age. In 1976, he won his first Wimbledon championships and went on to win 5 Wimbledon titles in a row. 

Kim Clijsters

The Belgian Tennis champ quit the game at the age of 23, just two years after being named world number 1. Clijsters reached four Grand Slam finals before finally winning a Major in her fifth try at the 2005 US Open.