Barty: Have to understand opinions of WTA & medical experts before deciding to return

• Tennis News

World No. 1 Ash Barty, of Australia, says she will listen to advice from the WTA Tour and medical experts before making any rash decisions to return to the global tennis circuit. Currently, all professional tennis tournaments till July 12th have been suspended and a call on events post that timeline will be taken in the coming weeks.

Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald, Barty, the reigning French Open champion, says, "Obviously I'd love to defend my title in Paris at Roland Garros. "I think what's more important is that we listen to the WTA, we listen to what all the health experts say all over the world, before I just jump into making rash decisions.

"We have to understand and respect their opinions before making decisions." While some tennis players have started competing in domestic events organized by their national associations, Barty, who is currently in Brisbane with her golfer boyfriend during the lockdown, also said she would like to know more about the event being proposed by Tennis Australia before she signs up for the same.

"We're in a bit of a holding pattern like a lot of the other players and waiting to see what structures are created, what opportunities are created and we'll go from there. "But I wouldn't be surprised if there are a few more [exhibition events] that come up once restrictions are eased.

"But I think all players – [and] all countries – will be taking into consideration what their government's health authorities are saying. "We all love playing tennis. We're extremely lucky to be able to play tennis as a profession.

"But, you know, there are bigger things in life that we need to worry about just for the time being. "Everyone will take into consideration the requirements that they need to do but also looking for opportunity [to play] because tennis is what we do, it's what we love. It's what we love to do and we want to play."