Ash Barty was looking for a different word after her exhibition doubles match at Wimbledon on Wednesday.
A three-time winner of major singles tournaments, Barty retired just over two years ago when she was 25 years old. She has decided to remain retired.
“You guys are making it difficult for me,” Barty told reporters. “Does anyone have a synonym for ‘no’ that I can use?”
Barty played in an invitation doubles match on Centre Court exactly three years after winning the Wimbledon title against Karolina Pliskova.
Her return to the All England Club naturally led to questions about whether she would return to competitive tennis.
She’s not interested, she said. Last year, Barty became a mother to a baby boy. She’s also doing commentary for the BBC’s coverage of Wimbledon. “I have a great view from my commentary box on Centre Court and Court 1,” she said.
“I can see everything happening on the court. I hope people watching at home are enjoying what I have to say. I’m not sure if I’m right or wrong, but I’m enjoying it too.”
At 28 years old, Barty said she doesn’t think about what might have happened if she had continued playing to compete with Iga Swiatek for the No. 1 ranking.
“I really enjoy seeing others succeed,” she said. “We’ve watched Iga dominate for most of the last two and a half years.
She’s been amazing with her composure, going on incredible winning streaks and really dominating, which is difficult to do. It’s been really impressive to watch from a distance.”
In the exhibition match, Barty and Casey Dellacqua defeated Andrea Petkovic and Magdalena Rybarikova.
“I love tennis. I love being here. I love being involved,” Barty said. “Now, I get to choose when and how much I want to be involved, which is really nice.”
