Ash Barty will make a return to tennis next month after accepting a place in Wimbledon’s exhibition invitation doubles draw.
It’ll be Barty’s first time back at Wimbledon since she won at the All England Club in 2021. In 2022, Barty announced her retirement from professional tennis after winning the Australian Open in the same year.
“Reunited with the Wimbledon grass,” Wimbledon announced. “Delighted to have our 2021 singles champion Ash Barty returning for this year’s Invitational Doubles.”
Barty will team up with her former doubles partner and friend Casey Dellacqua for the invitation doubles. Barty and Dellacqua have previously made three doubles grand slams finals together.
“This is why I love tennis, because it doesn’t matter at what level, I get an opportunity to play with my best mate who, yes, is an extremely good player and has won the championships before,” Dellacqua said.
Barty will also be featuring as a commentator at Wimbledon this year, which is due to begin on July 1. The exhibition match will begin on July 9. Barty is due to play at least three matches as part of the women’s doubles tournament.
Since her retirement in 2022, Barty has started a family, giving birth to her son Hayden in July, 2023. She has also released a children’s book, My Dream For You.
After retiring from her professional tennis career, Barty cemented her place at the top of Australian tennis, becoming the first player to win the coveted Newcombe Medal on five consecutive occasions. Barty retired while holding the No. 1 tennis ranking, having won three grand slams throughout her career, including Wimbledon, the French Open and the Australian Open.