Ashleigh Barty won't defend WTA Finals title after ending 2021 season
"It was a difficult decision but I need to prioritize my body and my recovery from our 2021 season," the world No. 1 said in a statement. Continuing COVID-19 travel and quarantine restrictions were also factors.
FLASHBACK: A chat with newly-minted Wimbledon champ Barty
BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — World No. 1-ranked Ash Barty won't defend her season-ending WTA Finals title and is done for the year due to continuing COVID-19 travel and quarantine restrictions.
"I wanted to let everyone know that I won't be competing in any further tournaments in 2021, including the WTA Finals in Mexico," Barty said in a statement on Saturday. "It was a difficult decision but I need to prioritize my body and my recovery from our 2021 season."
Barty hasn't played since the US Open in September and says her focus now is on preparing for another attempt at winning her home Australian Open in Melbourne in January.
![Australia's Ashleigh Barty waves to the crowd after defeating Russia's Vera Zvonareva during their 2021 US Open Tennis tournament women's singles first round match at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York, on August 31, 2021. (Photo by Kena Betancur / AFP) / The erroneous mention[s] appearing in the metadata of this photo by Kena Betancur has been modified in AFP systems in the following manner: [after defeating] instead of [before playing against]. Please immediately remove the erroneous mention[s] from all your online services and delete it (them) from your servers. If you have been authorized by AFP to distribute it (them) to third parties, please ensure that the same actions are carried out by them. Failure to promptly comply with these instructions will entail liability on your part for any continued or post notification usage. Therefore we thank you very much for all your attention and prompt action. We are sorry for the inconvenience this notification may cause and remain at your disposal for any further information you may require. (Photo by KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images)](https://tennis.com/images/articles/f749de2e-b129-47f4-8fb5-8b7b7c6abb4f/web.jpg)
The 25-year-old Barty won five titles this season, including a second major at Wimbledon in July, and is assured of ending as year-end No. 1.
Barty won the WTA Finals in Shenzhen, China in 2019 before last year's edition was not played because of the pandemic.
She had to undergo two weeks of quarantine when she returned to her Brisbane home in September after the U.S. Open and doesn't want to do the same again if she travels to the relocated WTA Finals in Guadalajara, Mexico from Nov. 10-17.
"With ongoing challenges of traveling back to Queensland and quarantine requirements, I am not willing to compromise my preparation for January," Barty said.