Ashleigh Barty will find herself on the tennis courts again, taking part in a special event at the 2023 Australian Open.
Barty was the player to beat before Iga Swiatek ascended to unimaginable heights in 2022. The Australian was number one and had just won the Australian Open when she elected to retire from the sport.
It was something that had been on her mind ever since winning the Wimbledon Championships because that event was the one she wanted to win badly. After doing it, she understood that she did most of what she wanted to do and opted to usher in a new chapter of her life.
Since then, the former Australian player didn't really make too many appearances around the WTA Tour. She’s not part of the media cycle except for a few instances where her name gets mentioned in relation to something she achieved in the sport.
She’s elected to keep her private life private, but fans will be getting a chance to see her on the tennis court again. She will suit up to play an exhibition match called ‘Match in the Mall’, which will take place at Bourke St Mall for this special occasion.
A full-sized tennis court will be installed in the Mall and will feature players such as Jim Courier, Alicia Molik, and Casey Dellacqua. Barty’s participation at the event should help draw lots of people to it, and just the rarity of such a thing—a tennis court inside a mall—should help with that as well.
This doesn’t mean that Barty is coming back to tennis because she was categorical back when she retired that she was decided about her decision. She might take part in events like this, but as far as competitive tennis is concerned, she won't be coming back.
This event is being organized by Myer and Mastercard with the goal of bringing fun back to the city. Myer Chief Customer Officer Geoff Ikin spoke to the Herald Sun about the event.
"Our main objective is to bring fun and footfall back to the city, and with tennis fever alive it gives us the perfect opportunity to partner with Mastercard to close off the summer of tennis in style."
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