Australian tennis player Ashleigh Barty, number one in the world, will not compete again in 2021 nor will she defend her title of ‘teacher’ at the WTA Finals due to quarantine restrictions in her native Australia and her need to recover well for the next year, a decision that puts the Spanish Garbiñe Muguruza in the tournament and that allows Paula Badosa to increase her hopes of playing the last great competition of the course.
“I wanted everyone to know that I will not compete in any more tournaments in 2021, including the WTA Finals in Mexico “, Barty announced in a statement. “It was a difficult decision, but I need to prioritize my body and my recovery from the 2021 season and focus on having the strongest possible preseason for the Australian summer,” he added.
The oceanic, 25 years old and who won the last WTA Finals held, in 2019, spent two weeks in quarantine at his home in Brisbane after returning from the US Open in September, and assured that she was “not” “willing to compromise” her preparation for January, when the Australian Open will begin. “With the continuing challenges of traveling back to Queensland and the quarantine requirements, I am not willing to compromise my preparation for January. I wish the WTA team and the players all the best for the remainder of the season and for a successful WTA Finals. My focus is now on the Australian summer and doing everything I can to win the Australian Open. I can’t wait to play at home again, “he stressed.
In this 2021, Barty won the title at Wimbledon and in four other tournaments, but had to retire injured at Roland Garros and she lost in the first round of the Olympic Games to the Spanish Sara Sorribes. With his resignation, Barty allows the mathematical classification of Garbiñe Muguruza, seventh in the Carrera a Guadalajara, and of the Polish Iga Swiatek and opens the door for the also Spanish Paula Badosa, currently at number eight in the same ranking, to be eligible for be among the eight best rackets of the year in the WTA Finals to be held in the Mexican town.
