‘I’m done’: Barty not tempted by tennis return

In a tennis year defined by high-profile retirements, Ash Barty has given her strongest indication yet that her shock to decision to quit at 25 is cast in stone. Looking relaxed but maintaining a busy schedule to coincide with the release of her autobiography, dabbling in new business interests and a range of corporate speaking engagements, the former world No.1 has a firm message about persistent questions of one day returning to the grind of the tour. “I’m done,” Barty said at Melbourne Park on Tuesday in her second trip back there since winning the Australian Open in January. Back in Melbourne: Ash Barty returns to the scene of one of her greatest triumphs. Credit:Eddie Jim This year Roger Federer, 41, was overwhelmed with emotion when playing his final professional match, while fellow superstar Serena Williams, having also eked past her 40th birthday, signalled her high-profile US Open appearance was part of “evolving” away from tennis.

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