Australian tennis great Ash Barty will make a return to the grass courts of Wimbledon for the first time since winning the 2021 grand slam title.
Barty will be back on the main stage at Wimbledon after accepting an invitation to take part in the invitational doubles match.
The match will be the first time the 28-year-old takes to the courts since announcing her shock retirement in 2022.
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The event will be played on July 10 and will include a women’s doubles, men’s doubles, and mixed doubles event.
Wimbledon announced the news on Instagram on Wednesday morning.
“Reunited with the Wimbledon grass,” the All England Club said.
https://www.instagram.com/p/C8aXBTrtZ5S/?utm_source=ig_embed&
“Delighted to have our 2021 singles champion Ash Barty returning for this year’s Invitational Doubles.”
Barty’s Wimbledon victory famously ended Australia’s 41-year drought at the event, with her idol, Evonne Goolagong Cawley, the previous Australian woman to lift the trophy in 1980.
Barty won at Roland-Garros in 2019 before claiming her third grand slam title at the Australian Open in 2022, which marked the end of her tennis career.
Since her retirement, Barty married her partner Garry Kissick and gave birth to her son, Hayden.
Barty’s return to tennis is not exclusive to the court, with the star confirmed to be commentating alongside Nick Kyrgios, who is in doubt to play in the event due to lingering injury issues.
The tournament begins on Monday, July 1.