“She’s an incredible athlete and an incredible person,she’s someone that any sporting team or any team in general would be lucky to have her around in whatever capacity that may be.”
Jonassen and World Cup teammate Beth Mooney played the very first game in the WBBL during the 2015-16 summer alongside Barty,who was loved by her Heat teammates.
“I was pretty shocked and pretty saddened to read the news. I thought it was a bit of as joke initially,” Jonassen said of Barty’s sudden retirement as the world’s number one tennis player at the age of 25.
“That’s something Ash was always good at,she played to the beat of her own drum.
“She was never out there for being in the spotlight or getting all the glory,she just set out wanting to achieve certain goals and feeling she had done that she now has other goals.
“She’s engaged now as well and family is as really big thing for her,so it wouldn’t surprise me if that was the main driver,to be able to spend a lot more time with family.
“There are going to be a number of different sporting codes in her ear,I can guarantee that,but I think she deserves a well-earned break for the next little while.”