Three years since she secured her place as Wimbledon ladies singles champion, tennis legend Ash Barty has made her long awaited return to Centre Court, delivering an “incredible” performance.
Since announcing her retirement from tennis in 2022, fans and the sporting community have eagerly awaited Barty’s return to the court to showcase her prowess once again.
Her comeback on Wednesday, July 10 did not disappoint, as she and her doubles partner and friend Casey Dellacqua secured victory over Andrea Petkovic and Magdalena Rybarikova 5-7 6-3 (10-7).
Barty demonstrated she hadn’t lost her touch with a perfectly executed backhand that skimmed across the net, drawing cheers not only from the crowd but also from her opponent.
Following the match and after securing yet another victory Barty said that “it felt incredible” to play once more on Centre Court.
“Obviously, this is the place that holds some of my most cherished memories, and it’s really nice to be back with my best mate on the court. It’s pretty special,” she said.
“It’s a beautiful court. It’s, in my opinion, the best court in the world. I was very grateful and very fortunate that we were able to share an experience out there again today together.”
It wasn’t long before questions inevitably turned to whether the 28-year-old would ever be making a permanent return to the sport, a notion she was quick to shut down.
“You guys are killing me. I don’t know how much more. Anyone have a thesaurus for a word that I can use for ‘no’?” she explained.
“No, mate. No, I’m not.”
“I won’t be one of them,” Barty previously told AAP, referring to the comebacks of fellow champions Naomi Osaka, Caroline Wozniacki, and Angelique Kerber.
“I miss parts of it, but mostly I miss seeing my mates.
“I miss seeing the girls that I’ve built such a relationship with over so many years, but a lot of my best mates have also retired now and they’re kind of moving on to their next chapters.
“We’ll still get out there and hit occasionally if anyone asks or any of my mates ask.”
While Barty acknowledges the occasional friendly match with mates, she insists that she is “enjoying” what she is doing now which is being a mother to her son Hayden.
“There’s nothing keeping me away. It’s not like I’m doing things to keep myself away from the court,” Barty said.
“I want be able to be there to raise Hayden and I want to be able to enjoy that.
“That’s what I want to do, plain and simple. That’s where my priorities lie now.
“I absolutely love being mum. There’s nothing else that I prefer to do.”
-with AAP.