‘Never say never’: Ash Barty refuses to rule out returning to tennis in future

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Ash Barty has said she would never say never" about returning to professional tennis following her shock retirement. She would not be drawn on questions about plans to remain in professional sport, and in response to a question about the prospect of a comeback, the Australian said: Well, you never say never, it's a long way off."

Barty also hinted at a role with junior tennis in her home country, saying that seeing the smiles" of the faces of younger players taking up the sport had reminded her of why I started playing". Asked if that meant she would have a formal position with junior tennis, Barty said she had no details to share as yet".