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Top-ranked tennis player Ash Barty announces her retirement at 25 years old

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Australian tennis star Ashleigh Barty, the top-ranked women’s player in the world, has announced her retirement from the sport at just 25 years old.
Barty, a three-time Grand Slam champion, made the announcement in an Instagram video that went up late Tuesday night in the United States.
“Today is difficult and filled with emotion for me as I announce my retirement from tennis,” Barty wrote in her post.
“I am so thankful for everything this sport has given me and leave feeling proud and fulfilled. Thank you to everyone who has supported me along the way, I’ll always be grateful for the lifelong memories that we created together.”
Barty expanded on her decision to retire in the accompanying video.
“It’s hard to say,” Barty said of saying she would be retiring but, she added, “I’m so happy and I’m so ready and I just 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 that the time is right now for me to step away and chase other dreams and to put the rackets down.”
Barty said the decision to step away had been building in recent years.
“(Retirement) is something I’ve been thinking about for a long time and I’ve had a lot of incredible moments in my career that have been pivotal moments,” Barty said.
One of those moments was her Wimbledon victory in 2021.
“Wimbledon last year changed a lot for me as a person and for me as an athlete when you work so hard your whole life for one goal. And I’ve been able to share that with so many incredible people, but to be able to win Wimbledon, which was my dream – the one, true dream that I wanted in tennis – that really changed my perspective,” Barty said. “I just had that gut feeling after Wimbledon, and had spoken to my team quite a lot about it.”
She added, though, that even after that win, “there was just a little part of me that wasn’t quite satisfied, wasn’t quite fulfilled.”
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What helped solidify her decision to retire, she said, was her victory in her home country at this year’s Australian Open.
“I think that for me just feels like the most perfect way – my perfect way – to celebrate what an amazing journey my tennis career has been,’ Barty said. “As a person, this is what I want. I want to chase after some other dreams that I’ve always wanted to do.”
Barty won her first major at the French Open in 2019, before adding a Wimbledon title in 2021 and the Australian Open in 2022. Overall, she captured 15 singles titles in her career while posting a 305-102 record in singles. This year, she was a perfect 11-0 with two titles.
But titles were not her driving force anymore, she said.
“There was a perspective shift in me in this second phase of my career that my happiness wasn’t dependent on the results. Success for me is knowing that I’ve given absolutely everything I can. I’m fulfilled. I’m happy. I know how much work it takes to bring the best out of yourself. And I’ve said it to my team, multiple times, it’s just … I don’t have that in me anymore,” Barty said.
“I don’t have the physical drive, the emotional want and kind of everything it takes to challenge yourself at the very top of the level anymore. I think I just know that I’m absolutely … I am spent. Physically, I have nothing more to give. And that for me is success. I’ve given absolutely everything I can to this beautiful sport of tennis and I’m really happy with that and for me that is my success.”
Barty, who stepped away from the sport in 2014 to pursue a professional cricket career before returning two years later, acknowledged that many “may not understand” her decision to walk away at 25 and at the top of her sport.
“That’s OK, I’m OK with that, because I know that for me, Ash Barty the person has so many dreams that she wants to chase after that don’t necessarily involve traveling the world, being away from my family, being away from my home, which is where I’ve always wanted to be,” Barty said.
Though she is stepping away from tennis, the game will not be far from her heart.
“I’ll never, ever, ever stop loving tennis,” Barty said. “It will always be a massive part of my life but now I think it’s important that I get to enjoy the next phase of my life as Ash Barty the person, not Ash Barty the athlete.”
Contributing: Associated Press
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Ruud van Nistelrooy makes next job decision as Man Utd plan coaching appointment

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That decision failed to pay off, however, with the Red Devils sacking Moyes after just 10 months in charge.
After the current West Ham boss came Van Gaal, who arrived with big things expected due to his past success at the likes of Barcelona and Ajax.
Giggs was hoping to get the Red Devils job himself, which was why he stayed, but both ended up leaving nearly six years ago.
When Jose Mourinho took over, he opted to maintain his close relationship with Rui Faria – who had previously worked under him at clubs such as Real Madrid and Chelsea.
Fair departed in the summer of 2018, though, with Michael Carrick then given a place on Mourinho’s bench.
Carrick stayed to work under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, with the Norwegian also regularly picking up the thoughts of Phelan and Kieran McKenna throughout his spell in the dugout.
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High cholesterol: Blood pressure drug linked to significant reduction in good cholesterol

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“Though they’re commonly used to treat different forms of heart disease, beta-blockers can significantly reduce HDL levels.”
Among the beta-blockers that cause this are Corgard (nadolol), Inderal (propranolol), Tenormin (atenolol), Zebeta (bisoprolol).
These drugs are widely used in the treatment of angina, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, heart attack and high blood pressure.
But despite concerns about their effect on cholesterol, scientists stress that the benefits of beta-blockers far outweigh the risks.
VeryWell Health adds: “If your beta-blocker affects your cholesterol significantly, your doctor may lower your dose or switch you to a different medication.”
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Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez not on same page over Saudi Arabia GP after missile attack

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However, after a four-hour meeting between race officials and the teams, it was confirmed the race would go ahead despite the attack. It had been reported that a number of the competing drivers were concerned for their safety following the nearby explosion.
Despite this, an agreement was finally reached to race at 2:30am local time, after team chiefs left the lengthy meeting to confirm: “We will be racing.” A statement from Formula 1 confirmed Sunday’s race would go ahead as planned. It read: “Formula 1 has been in close contact with the relevant authorities following the situation that took place today. The authorities have confirmed that the event can continue as planned and we will remain in close contact with them and all the teams and closely monitor the situation.”
Unsurprisingly, there were a number of mixed views on whether the race should go ahead, and this is clearly apparent in the Red Bull setup. This comes after advisor Helmut Marko revealed that drivers Verstappen and Perez are not on the same page when it comes to racing.
JUST IN: F1 drivers ‘had concerns’ about Saudi Arabia GP as new details emerge after missile attack
On the issue, Marko told Sky Germany: “Max is a bit more relaxed about it. Perez is a little bit scared, but when you live in Mexico City there’s not much more security. We have the pandemic, we have the war in Europe and now we have a missile attack 20 kilometres away. This is no longer normal or pleasant.”
Ahead of tomorrow’s race though, the Austrian advisor is firmly on the side of Verstappen and the race officials, supporting the idea of the race taking place. He commented: “I really think it’s the right thing to do. As I said, these drone attacks are common, I think. They have a very good defence system. Why this one didn’t work remains to be seen. It’s not the first drone, after all. But it’s the first one to strike on such a scale.”
The attack took place during Friday’s first practice session, and it was Red Bull’s star man Verstappen who was one of the first to realise something was wrong after reporting on his team radio that he could ‘smell burning’. Initially, the Dutchman thought the smell was coming from either his or one of his rival’s cars, however it then became clear that an explosion had taken place just a few miles from the track.
Giving an insight into Verstappen’s initial worries, Marko said: “Max radioed us, he thought his car had caught fire because there was an intense burning smell. We were informed a drone had been sent from Yemen. The Saudis have a defence system and for some reason the drone was not intercepted.”
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