Commentary On 23 March, Ashleigh Barty shocked Australia and the international tennis community when she announced her retirement from the sport. This unexpected announcement comes a few weeks after her latest achievement, winning the Australian Open. Soon after her historic win in Melbourne, I wrote an opinion piece for The Epoch Times in which I described Barty’s victory at the Australian Open as “a celebration of the indomitable human spirit.” I predicted that history would remember the tournament as a personal triumph of Ashleigh Barty, “the women’s champion who gave Australia its first victory in 44 years.” Barty is the winner of three majors, the French Open, Wimbledon, and the Australian Open. For the last two years, she has retained a ranking of the Number One tennis player in the world. During her lucrative career, she amassed a fortune in prize money, nearly US$24 million. Her announcement has been met …