Retried superstar Ash Barty will be reuniting with the grass courts at Wimbledon for the first time since her epic triumph in 2021 after agreeing to take part in an invitational doubles match.
It will be the first time the three-time grand slam champion takes to the courts since announcing her shock retirement in March 2022.
Barty, who since her retirement has got married and become a mother, will play in the exhibition match Tuesday, July 9 (UK time). The event will include a women’s doubles, men’s doubles and mixed doubles event.
Wimbledon officials made the announcement on social media declaring they were “delighted” to have Barty back.
Since her retirement, Barty’s lone competitive sporting hitout was in the New Zealand Open pro-am event, where she tested her golfing skills.
She has been reluctant to pick up a racquet competitively and has repeatedly said that despite retiring at such a young age, she had no intention of a full-time return.
In 2021 Barty ended Australia’s 41-year drought at the events becoming the first player since her idol, Evonne Goolagong Cawley, to lift the singles trophy.
Barty had previously won the French Open in 2019 – the first Australian woman in 46 years to do so – before claiming the Australian Open in 2022 and announcing her retirement two months later as the reigning world No.1.
Since her retirement, Australian female presence at the Grand Slams has been minimal and even in London the draw will automatically includes the top 108-ranked female players which means only Daria Saville and Arina Rodionova will make the cut-off.
Ajla Tomljanovic, who has won here way through to the quarter-finals at the grass court event in Birmingham, should be able to enter the tournament using a protected ranking, with a host of others set to enter qualifying.