“We’ll aim to be ready for Indian Wells”- Ash Barty to return to action at the Indian Wells after being under ‘house arrest’ following her Australian Open triumph
Ashleigh Barty
Reigning Australian Open Champion Ash Barty is all set to make a return at the Indian Wells next month. The World No.1 took a break after her historic win at the Melbourne Major and after nearly a month off the court, she will make her comeback at the WTA 1000 tournament which begins on March 9th.
The World No.1 is unbeaten this year and has won two titles on the trot, the WTA Adelaide International and the Australian Open. With this win, she became the first Australian to win the Australian Open title in 44 years. Barty is the only second active women’s player to win a Grand Slam title on all three surfaces, the other being former World No.1 and 23 time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams.
Barty spoke about her return at an AIA launch in Melbourne and said she was ‘on house arrest’, as she was shifting to a new home. “I was on house arrest for a couple of weeks. I was moving houses, so unpacking boxes and settling into our new home. It’s been an incredible journey for all of us over the last few months.”
After a brief break, Barty will be raring to again and regain her dominance on tour with her return at the Indian Wells, which will be a curtain-raiser for the clay-court swing. Barty’s best result so far in the Desert, is a 4th round finish back in 2019 and she will be looking to improve her record when she takes to clay courts of California next month.
“We’ll aim to be ready for Indian Wells, I know it’s in a couple of weeks, so we’ll get sorted and try our best to get there,” she said.
“It’s important we all do our own thing“- Barty on her upcoming schedule
Barty had to miss a chunk of the 2020 season because of strict travel restrictions in Australia owing to the pandemic. She also ended her 2021 season prematurely and focus on the Opening Slam next year. This move paid off well for Barty as she lifted her 3rd Grand Slam crown at the Australian Open. But now with Australia relaxing quarantine restrictions, the World No.1 has a more flexible hand over her schedule.
Nevertheless, Barty doesn’t expect a change in her schedule to affect who joins her at tournaments. Her fiancee, Gary Kissick PGA trainee professional golfer and is often seen touring with an Australian amateur golfer, Louis Dobbelaar. Kissick is seen in the player’s box during Bart’s matches, but couldn’t join her last year due to travel restrictions.
“They have their jobs, their lives and their careers. They love me as Ash the person, not Ash the tennis player. As much as I love to have them with me, it’s important we all do our own thing and they have their own careers and lives,” she added.
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T Rushitha
(360 Articles Published)