Ashleigh Barty played her first tennis match in front of an audience since she retired from the sport in 2022.
The Australian player retired on a winning streak, having won all of her 11 matches in 2022, including titles at the Adelaide International and the Australian Open.
Barty made her competitive return at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships, participating in the invitational doubles tournament for retired players and legends of the sport.
Partnered with Casey Dellacqua, her former doubles partner, Barty started the tournament on a high note, winning their match on Centre Court.
In their first match, the Australian duo faced Andrea Petkovic and Magdalena Rybarikova, ultimately winning in a thrilling three-set encounter.
Despite falling behind in the first set, Barty and Dellacqua fought back to force a decider, which they won in a match tie-break.
Barty’s winning streak continued as they secured the victory, but she reiterated that she was not planning a comeback to professional tennis.
“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’? No…”
