Ashleigh Barty's returns to Wimbledon for special exhibition of former stars

Ashleigh Barty returns to the courts at Wimbledon, albeit not as a competitor in the main draw. The former world No. 1 clinched the title in 2021 in her last appearance at the tournament before announcing her retirement in 2022, shortly after securing her third Grand Slam title at the Australian Open.

The retired tennis star is set to participate in an exhibition event at Wimbledon, having received an invitation from the organizers. The event features former players competing for substantial prize money.

Barty explained that she anticipated a new chapter in her life after achieving significant milestones in tennis, aiming to start a family. In 2023, Barty became a mother for the first time at the age of 28 and has repeatedly stated that she has no plans to return to professional competition.

However, the former Wimbledon champion decided to accept the invitation to the ex-players' tournament at the All England Club, marking her return for the first time since 2021: “The tournament invites you to play on one of the best courts in the world and I get an opportunity to play with my best mate – who would say no?” she told 7NEWS.

“It was a strange feeling walking through the gates again because it wasn’t memories that came up – the forehands or backhands or serves or the match point, it was the emotions that came with that moment. It’ll always be a massive part of my life,” the former world No. 1 added. “This is why I love tennis, because it doesn’t matter at what level, I get an opportunity to play with my best mate,” said Dellacqua.

Former player Casey Dellacqua will play alongside Barty and highlighted the partnership with one of her close friends from their time on the WTA Tour: “She’s an extremely good player and has won the Championships before. We’re just gonna have a great time and enjoy just being back together as friends on a tennis court, which we have loved to do our whole life.

“I’m actually really excited about it. We’re now in a different stage of our life. We’ve both got kids, we chat about different things, but hey, the tennis doesn’t change. The tennis is always there. And that’s the glue that brought us together. So we’re really lucky.”

On the other hand, former British No. 1 Laura Robson will also participate in the tournament and expressed her excitement about seeing Ash Barty back in action: “I still feel like Ash could come back and win the whole thing again,” Robson told Tennis365. “She’s playing with Casey Dellacqua and I just don’t want to be in their group!”

“We saw Caroline Wozniacki playing in this event at Wimbledon a couple of years back and then a few weeks later, she confirmed she was returning to tennis,” the tennis expert said. “I don’t see that happening with Ash. She is too happy enjoying her finishing and being a Mum to be back on tour full-time.

“I saw her in January in Melbourne and she was talking about it then. She is excited to play and it’s exciting for all of us to play at Wimbledon again,” Robson added. “I’ve been practising and hopefully I can enjoy getting back out there again.”