Australian tennis legend Ash Barty has delighted fans by turning up to the Brisbane International with her son Hayden.
Cameras spotted Barty in the crowd at Pat Rafter Arena for the men’s singles match between Sebastian Korda’s and Yannick Hanfmann.
Barty was sitting next to her mother, Josie, and had her six-month-old son Hayden safely perched on her lap.
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Hayden was busy chewing on a water bottle cap while seemingly keeping an eye on the action.
Fans loved the sight of the three-time grand slam champion and her baby boy.
“Her baby is so cute,” one fan said.
“Baby Barty looks exactly like mommy. So cute,” another added.
Barty, 27, and husband Gary Kissick welcomed Hayden into the world last July.
They have shared photos of Hayden on their social media accounts, but have largely kept out of the public eye.
Barty shocked the tennis world when she announced her retirement just two months after winning the 2022 Australian Open — her third grand slam title.
Since retiring, Barty and Kissick tied the knot in a secret tropical wedding, while she also released her autobiography and a children’s book series inspired by her niece.
Despite constant speculation Barty will one day return the court, the former world No.1 maintains she is happy in retirement.
“I don’t have the time – I don’t have the time to train, I don’t have the time to prepare, and I have so many great memories out on this court, and now I just get to create new memories,” Barty said in September last year.
“I’m certainly not coming out of retirement.”
Former world No.1 Naomi Osaka made her return to tennis on Monday after giving birth to her daughter in July.
The two-time Australian Open champion beat Germany’s Tamara Korpatsch 6-3 7-6 (11-9) in the first round of the Brisbane International on Monday.
The 26-year-old thumped 36 winners, mostly on the forehand side, and added 29 unforced errors in a match that stretched almost two hours.
“Part of me felt like Shai was watching me,” Osaka said of her daughter, who has remained in the United States
“I wanted to do my best for her.”