Tennis-Barty returns to action after 11 months for Australian Open warmup

[ASFN Admin]

World number one Ash Barty will return to competitive tennis after a lengthy hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic when she headlines two WTA tournaments in Melbourne ahead of the Australian Open, organisers said on Thursday. The 24-year-old Queenslander has not played a match since February, opting not to defend her French Open title and also skipping the U.S. Open in New York as the novel coronavirus wreaked havoc on global sport. The pandemic is still affecting the tennis calendar, with the year's first Grand Slam at Melbourne Park to start on Feb. 8, three weeks later than planned.

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