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SYDNEY (AFP) – Australian tennis player Ashleigh Barty, who won the Adelaide tournament in the singles and doubles categories on Sunday, announced her withdrawal from the Sydney Games, which begins on Monday, in order to rest a week before the start of the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam in the Grand Slam.
“Unfortunately, I withdrew from Sydney in order to get some rest before the Australian Open,” Barty said.
“I’m sorry that I won’t have the opportunity to play in front of the Sydney crowd this year,” she added.
Barty beat Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina 6-3, 6-2 on her way to becoming the champion of the Adelaide tournament, winning the 14th title in her career, before winning the doubles alongside Storm Sanders.
Barty’s participation in Adelaide was her first following a four-month hiatus, specifically since her loss in the third round of the American Flushing Meadows Championship last September, due to the repercussions of the Corona virus.
And Poland’s Iga Swientek, who was crowned champion at Roland Garros, followed suit by withdrawing from the Sydney Games as well.
“After the start of a busy season and my participation in Adelaide last week, I feel that my body needs to rest in order to recover its vitality before the Australian Open,” the Polish said.
“I had lower back pain and that’s why I decided to drop out of Sydney. Our date is in Melbourne!”
Shwentek had to face Britain’s Emma Radocano, the champion of Flushing Meadows, in the first round of the Sydney Games.
© 2022 AFP
