Barty back where she belongs as Wimbledon appearance sparks big question

Alex de Minaur’s unfortunate injury opened the door for Ash Barty to play on Wimbledon’s centre court - and didn’t she look at home.

Ash Barty was back on Wimbledon’s centre court on Wednesday - and three years on from her greatest triumph it was hard not to wonder how much damage she still could have done in this year’s tournament.

As she sent down aces and looked as comfortable as ever at the net alongside close mate and fellow Aussie Casey Dellacqua in the Legends doubles, the 28-year-old certainly looked capable of mixing with today’s stars.

And of course the question that has followed the Queenslander at every turn since she retired from the sport was asked again after her match.

“Let’s break some news … When are you coming back?” a journalist posed.

Barty showed she can still handle the media as well as she does a tennis racket.

She’s still smiling and still our Ash. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

A couple of Aussie legends enjoying a day out at Wimbledon. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

“You guys are killing me,” she said. “Anyone have a thesaurus for a word that I can use for ‘no’?

“No mate … no I’m not.”

Barty’s match with Dellacqua was added to the centre court schedule after Alex de Minaur’s injury prevented him from playing a quarterfinal against Novak Djokovic.

“I’m broken for Alex,” Barty said. “I mean, you could see how much it means to him. Like he said, this was the biggest match of his life. This was the opportunity that he had worked so hard for.

“(But) he is a resilient athlete. He’s a ripping guy. I know that this will be a challenge. But there will be a silver lining somewhere along the way that he’ll grow from, absolutely. He’s too intelligent and too driven and passionate and motivated to not learn from it and not grow from it.”

She’s still got it. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Barty is still an ace on the court. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Barty has watched on with delight as de Minaur rockets up the rankings.

“It’s incredible. His journey over the last couple years has been astronomical,” she said.

“The way he’s been able to develop his game (and) have a more complete game, he’s not the biggest bloke out there, but his being able to match it with these guys is impressive.

“I think you have seen a massive shift in his ability to be more aggressive, to get inside the court and try and dominate more matches instead of just running, which is a massive strength of his. He’s been able to add layers to his game, which has been very impressive.

“He belongs in the top 10. He belongs in the quarterfinals, semi-finals, the latter stages of Grand Slams. This won’t be the first time he’s in the quarters here. He’ll get another opportunity.”