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4 months ago
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Retired Australian tennis champion Ash Barty has added another accolade to her collection at Wimbledon, finishing as runner-up alongside her close friend Casey Dellacqua in a rare comeback to the court.
The former doubles partners reunited for the legends tournament at the All England Club, making it to the final after remaining unbeaten in the group stage.
In the final, the Aussies faced a formidable duo, Lleyton Hewitt's former fiancee Kim Clijsters and former world No.1 Martina Hingis, who claimed a 6-3, 6-2 victory, sealing the title without dropping a set in any of their four appearances.
Despite losing, Barty and Dellacqua were all smiles as they enjoyed the light-hearted invitational category.
It's the fifth time the pair have reached a grand slam doubles final without winning, having previously made it to all four slam finals, including three in 2013 alone.
Dellacqua, who has also made three more finals with other partners, joked about her record: 'I am now an eight-time runner-up.'
'ABCD forever,' she wrote on social media, sharing a photo of herself and Barty holding their runner-up medals. Barty replied warmly, 'Love ya mate.'
Great friends Ash Barty (right) and Casey Dellacqua teamed up for the legends doubles tournament at Wimbledon
Lleyton Hewitt's former fiancee Kim Clijsters lined up against the Aussies in the final
Clijsters and the Aussie former world No.1 met at the Australian Open in 2000 (pictured together in 2002)
Clijsters was joined by former world No.1 Martina Hingis as they swept their way to the title
Barty, the former world No.1 who retired in 2022 and gave birth to her son Hayden the following year, had initially gone to Wimbledon as a commentator.
However, she couldn't resist reuniting with Dellacqua for the legends event. Their first match was moved to Centre Court following the injury withdrawal of fellow Aussie Alex de Minaur.
The duo started their Wimbledon comeback by beating Andrea Petkovic and Magdalena Rybarikova 5-7, 6-3, (10-7).
Despite the competitive setting, the match was light-hearted, with Barty enjoying the fun with her old friend. She chuckled at her rusty errors and took pride in the occasional brilliant shot.
'It felt incredible. Obviously, this is the place that holds some of my most cherished memories, and it's really nice to be back with my best mate on the court. It's pretty special,' said Barty.
Barty returned to the court for the first time since her shock retirement and the birth of her first child Hayden
Dellacqua joked about how the loss in the final meant she was an eight-time runner up
Hingis and Clijsters (pictured together) showed they have lost none of their class on the court despite both being long retired
Reflecting on learning about her move to Centre Court, she added, 'Yeah, it was a big surprise. It was a very nice surprise. I was making lunch for my son at our house when I got an email saying we'd been shifted to Centre.
'I called Casey straight away and said, 'This is a bit different to what we signed up for!' But we were excited.'
'It's a beautiful court. It's, in my opinion, the best court in the world. I was very grateful and very fortunate that we were able to share an experience out there again today together.'
Australia had a significant presence in all three legends finals. Hewitt teamed up with one-time Wimbledon singles finalist Kevin Anderson in the men's event, but the legendary Bryan brothers, Bob and Mike, won 6-1, 6-4.
Additionally, Mark Woodforde, the 58-year-old former world No.1 doubles great, played with Dominika Cibulkova in the mixed and triumphed 6-3, 6-2 over Barbara Schett and Nenad Zimonjic.
English (US)