Barty pulls out of WTA Finals
World No 1 Ash Barty will not defend her WTA Finals title in Mexico next month after the Wimbledon champion decided to bring an early end to her 2021 season.
Barty won the seasonending tournament when it was last held in Shenzhen in November 2019 but the Australian will not travel to Guadalajara to participate in this year’s event running November 10-17.
“I wanted to let everyone know that I won’t be competing in any further tournaments in 2021, including the WTA Finals in Mexico,” Barty said in a statement. “It was a difficult decision but I need to prioritise my body and my recovery from our 2021 season and focus on having the strongest preseason for the Australian summer.”
Barty returned to Australia in September after a thirdround exit from the US Open, effectively ending a season during which she won five titles including Wimbledon. She had been omitted from the Australia team to play in next month’s Billie Jean King Cup finals in Prague.
The 25-year-old will now focus on the buildup to January’s Australian Open, where she will look to improve on her run to the quarter-finals in 2021.
Barty returned to Australia after a thirdround exit from the US Open, effectively ending the season for her.