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While tennis fans had been wanting to once again see Australian star Ashleigh Barty make a comeback to the court and work her magic, their hopes have been dashed by the former World No. 1.
Barty returned to the court when she joined former Australian Grand Slam champion Pat Rafter to commemorate the return of the Brisbane International tennis tournament in 2024.
In her remarks during the ceremony, Barty addressed the possibility of her return to tennis after retiring from the sport in March 2022.
The 27-year-old stated that she has no time to train and be physically ready to go through the rigor. While she has fond memories from her time in professional tennis, she now wants to create new ones after welcoming her first child, baby boy Hayden, in July 2023, with her husband Garry Kissick.
Ashleigh Barty also joked that Pat Rafter, a two-time US Open champion, has a better chance of picking up the racquet than she does.
"I don’t have the time. I don’t have the time to train, I don’t have the time to prepare, & I have so many great memories out on this court, & now I just get to create new memories. I’m certainly not coming out of retirement. Pat may be more likely, than me," Barty said.
The last time WTA Brisbane International was played was in 2020, with Karolina Pliskova emerging victorious in the WTA 500 tournament. The previous ATP edition of the tournament was held in 2019 when Kei Nishikori took home the title.
The returning tournament (WTA 500 and ATP 250) will be held from December 31, 2023, to January 7, 2024. The prize money will be a record AU$3.1 million.
A look into Ashleigh Barty's career
Ashleigh Barty had one of the most successful careers of her generation, winning 15 singles titles, including three Majors.
She spent 121 weeks as the World No. 1, 114 of which were consecutive. It was the 4th longest streak in WTA history. The Australian turned professional way back in 2010 and won her first title at the 2017 Malaysian Open.
She picked up her first Grand Slam title at the 2019 French Open and went on to clinch the 2021 Wimbledon Championships and the 2022 Australian Open.
Barty has also had success in doubles, winning 12 titles and rising to World No. 5 in May 2018. She won her only Grand Slam doubles title with CoCo Vandeweghe at the US Open in the same year.
Ashleigh Barty announced her retirement from professional tennis in March 2022, having earned over $23.8 million in career prize money. Interestingly, she took a brief break from tennis after the 2014 US Open as well to pursue cricket before returning in 2016.
