MADRID, 23 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Australian tennis player Ashleigh Barty, number one in the world, will not compete again in 2021 or 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 brings the Spanish Garbiñe Muguruza into 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 tough 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, who won the last WTA Finals held in 2019, spent two weeks in quarantine at her home in Brisbane after returning from the US Open in September, and assured that she was “not” willing to compromise. “His 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 World Cup Finals. Successful WTAs. My focus is now on the Australian summer and doing everything possible to win the Australian Open. I can’t wait to play at home again, “he stressed.
In 2021, Barty won the title at Wimbledon and in four other tournaments, but had to retire injured at Roland Garros and lost in the first round of the Olympic Games against 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.