"I can't believe Ashleigh Barty is retiring, there goes the dominant force in women's tennis" - Fans react to World No. 1's shock retirement

The tennis community was sent into a state of shock after World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty announced her retirement from the sport on Wednesday, just a month shy of her 26th birthday.

In an interview with former doubles partner Casey Dellacqua, the Australian said the time was right for her to hang up her racket and chase other dreams.

Barty's decision comes just two months after she won the Australian Open, which made her the first homegrown woman to win the Melbourne Slam since Chris O'Neil in 1978.

Tennis fans were expectedly saddened by the news of the Australian's retirement and took to Twitter to have their say. One user labeled Barty "the dominant force in women's tennis."

"I can't believe Ash Barty is retiring. Absolutely shocking decision. By far the best player on tour right now, many Grand Slams were ahead of her. WOW! There goes the dominant force in women's tennis. Now what?" they lamented.

Another fan expressed "admiration" for Barty for walking away from the sport in her prime.

"Huge respect and admiration for Ash Barty. I can’t imagine the strength required to walk away from the only thing you’ve ever known, while at the mountaintop of that thing. You have to know exactly who you are. A pretty rare thing," they mused.

Another fan called Barty "iconic" while listing some of her incredible achievements in the sport.

"Ash Barty really retired from tennis as the World #1, reigning AO and Wimbledon champion and on an 11-match winning streak. Very sad, but very iconic as well," they wrote.

Another wished the Australian a "happy life" post retirement.

"Ash Barty retiring is a huge shock… albeit it’s not the first time. What a career, and we wish the fine lady a happy life," they wrote.

Ashleigh Barty retires with 3 Grand Slams to her name

Ashleigh Barty won three Grand Slams during her short but illustrious career

Ashleigh Barty's career was nothing short of glittering. The Australian won three Grand Slam singles titles, with the first coming at Roland Garros in 2019. Barty won Wimbledon last year by beating Karolina Pliskova in the final before triumphing at Melbourne Park in January.

The 25-year-old won three WTA 1000 titles -- the Miami Open twice and the Cincinnati Open last year. She also clinched the WTA Finals in 2019. Barty won a total of 15 singles titles during her career.

The Australian also tasted a fair bit of success on the doubles circuit, winning the US Open women's doubles crown in 2018 with Coco Vandeweghe. She also won four WTA 1000 tournaments, triumphing at the Miami Open, the Italian Open twice and the Canadian Open.

Barty had just begun her 120th week (113rd consecutive) at the top of the WTA rankings when she made the decision to step away. After her retirement, the likes of Iga Swiatek, Maria Sakkari and Barbora Krejcikova will all have a shot at becoming the new World No. 1.