Ash Barty back on a tennis court sends Instagram into meltdown

A viral video and a comment from a tennis great have plenty pondering the return of one of Australia’s favourite athletes.

It doesn’t take much for the Ash Barty rumour mill to crank up again.

Combine an Instagram post with comments from an unnamed “source” and a line from a fellow tennis great and presto, Barty is making a comeback.

The three-time grand slam champion retired from tennis in March 2022, stating she was physically and emotionally exhausted from the pro tour.

Stream Over 50 Sports Live & On-Demand with Kayo. Join now and start streaming instantly >

Since then she has been largely out of the spotlight, apart from the announcement she and husband Garry Kissick were expecting a baby.

Barty then revealed little Hayden’s arrival in an Instagram post on July 4 this year.

Now, another rare entry on the social media platform has got tongue’s wagging once more.

“Back to red ball,” Barty writes on a post that features a video of her hitting a few tennis balls with three cute kids, along with a pic of her cuddling Hayden.

Ash Barty hits the court in her Instagram post.

“Coaches seemed happy enough. Spectator just enjoyed a snooze in the shade.”

With over 43,000 likes and 135 comments, the post drew plenty of attention.

“Come out of retirement please,” was one reply.

“We need you back on tour,” wrote another.

Many, many others used the same three words in their reply: “Please come back.”

Barty was hugely revered for her talent and temperament as she rose to No. 1 in the world and is dearly missed, having retired at just 25 years old.

Other fans wanted to earnestly suggest she doesn’t need to return “unless you are sure that it is what you really want”.

Some very famous followers also chipped in, including a recent returnee to the circuit, Caroline Wozniacki, who replied simply: “So cute!”

Wozniacki ended her own retirement in August this year, making it through to the round of 16 at the US Open, where the 33-year-old lost to eventual champion Coco Gauff.

Another good friend of Barty’s and another former professional, Casey Dellacqua, replied only with a series of heart-filled emojis.

Ash Barty with her baby Hayden and (right) her Wimbledon victory in 2021. Photo: Getty Images

It was the reported comment of another former professional, however, that had tennis fans talking.

Former doubles great Pat Shriver - who once incorrectly predicted the end of Barty’s reign as world No. 1 - questioned the timing of Barty’s post according to website tennis.com.

“It’s interesting that she chose to post the video,” Shriver is quoted.

“It’s kind of like, does that send a message, now that all these peers who were playing the tour at the same time as her are coming back?”

Wozniacki, Naomi Osaka, Victoria Azarenka and Elina Svitolina are among the players to return to the tour of late after having children.

It also comes after gossip publication New Idea posted quotes from a “source” last month that Barty was indeed considering a comeback.

For the record, we think a video of Barty having the softest of hits is a far, far cry from a professional return.

That was echoed by another tennis great, Chris Evert, to tennis.com.

“She retired once before and that told me that the stress and pressure of, not just the competition, but also the travelling lifestyle was not always fun for her,” Evert says.

“She is a homebody, she’s married, she has a child. In my opinion, there is no way she wants to or will come back.”