Ashleigh Barty has formally ended her 2021 season, which means that the the world No.1 will not be defending her WTA Finals title. Months away from home and Queensland’s quarantine rules were contributing factors in the Australian’s decision to skip the last tennis tournaments this year.
The 25-year-old Barty skipped this month’s BNP Paribas Open and we were just awaiting her to officially announce that she was done for the 2021 season. Last month, Barty’s coach Craig Tyzzer greatly criticized the WTA for choosing Guadalajara, Mexico to host this year’s WTA Finals. The city’s altitude is too high and pressureless balls will have to be used at the mid-November event, so Tyzzer finds the conditions to be absolutely ridiculous.
The last tournament Barty played was the 2021 US Open, where she lost to Shelby Rogers in the third round. Now her focus is to relax and recover after spending eight months on the road and to prepare for the Australian Swing at the start of next season.
Barty won five titles this year, including her second Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in July. A year-end No.1 ranking is guaranteed for the Australian, who will finish the season at the top spot for the third time in a row. (source: ESPN)
Homesick.