A former Australian tennis star says she is hopeful Ash Barty will at some point return to skilled tennis.
Former high 10 ladies’s singles participant and commentator Jelena Dokic stated she would like to see the reigning Australian Open champion again enjoying as Barty set foot on Margaret Court Arena on Wednesday morning for a success with younger Indigenous gamers.
Barty, who’s pregnant along with her first youngster, entertained children with an array of spectacular photographs as she joined fellow Indigenous tennis legend Evonne Goolagong to launch the Australian Open’s second annual First Nations Day.
Dokic stated Barty and Goolagong’s involvement with the initiative was “phenomenal”.
“To have Ash Barty and Evonne Goolagong Cawley here, it doesn’t get much better than that,” she stated.
When requested if a Barty return might be on the playing cards following the start of her youngster, in the same comeback to at least one pregnant two-time Australian Open winner Naomi Osaka stated she would make subsequent yr, Dokic stated: “Look, we can dream.
“It would be great to see her back.”
Despite Barty’s retirement and a spate of withdrawals leaving the ladies’s draw with just one former Australian Open champion remaining within the event’s second spherical (2012 and 2013 winner Victoria Azarenka), the reigning champion stated there was extra depth within the competitors than there had been given credit score for.
“In the women’s draw, there’s so much depth spread across the board and you have to have quality over the whole calendar to be a top player,” Barty stated.
But she stated world No.1 Iga Swiatek had been a category above rivals for the majority of 2022.
“I think Iga (Swiatek) has obviously shown she was probably that level above most for most of last year, but there are certainly some very good players in there that may not have had slam success in terms of winning it but have made quarters and semis,” she stated.
“I think it will come down to whoever can handle the occasion best, trust themselves and play their best tennis.”
Barty, who stated she was having fun with taking within the event as a spectator moderately than as a participant, was filled with reward for Australians Olivia Gadecki and Kimberly Birrell following their first-round wins on Tuesday.
“I speak to Liv (Gadecki) quite often, she’s obviously in a really good place and she was excited to get out there for her first major and she handled herself exceptionally well,” Barty stated.
“There’s plenty of firsts for Liv and it’s nice to see Kimbo (Birrell) fight through and scrap yesterday and find a way to break down one of the best players over a long time.
“For both of them it’s exciting now that they have another opportunity to test themselves.”
