Aussie tennis legend Ash Barty will reunite with close friend and former doubles partner Casey Dellacqua at this year’s Wimbledon.
Barty announced her shock return to the court on Thursday morning, but her partner for the legends’ invitational doubles event was not yet known.
Barty and Dellacqua made three grand slam finals together, including the final at Wimbledon in 2013.
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“I can announce that the band’s back together, ABCD,” Dellacqua said on AO Show Weekly, making reference to their initials.
“This is why I love tennis, because it doesn’t matter at what level, I get an opportunity to play with my best mate who, yes, is an extremely good player and has won the championships before.
“We’re just gonna have a great time and enjoy just being back together as friends on a tennis court, which we have loved to do our whole life… I’m actually really excited about it.
“We’re now in a different stage of our life. We’ve both got kids, we chat about different things, but hey, the tennis doesn’t change.
“The tennis is always there. And that’s what kind of is the glue that brought us together. So we’re really lucky.”
Dellacqua teamed up with fellow Aussie Alicia Molik in the 2022 invitational event.
Barty fulfilled her childhood dream of winning at the All England Club in 2021, but never defended her title having opted to retire after taking out the Australian Open title in 2022.
She gave birth to her first child, son Hayden, in July 2023.
Just months later she shared images of herself having a hit on a tennis court but the former world No.1 instead returned to competitive sport with an appearance at a pro-am golf tournament in New Zealand.
Barty bobbed up around tennis through the summer as a spectator while also unveiling her foundation.
Speaking then, she insisted she would not join fellow mums Naomi Osaka, Caroline Wozniacki and Elina Svitolina in making a comeback.
“I miss parts of it, but mostly I miss seeing my mates,” Barty said of quitting the tour.
“I miss seeing the girls that I’ve built such a relationship with over so many years, but a lot of my best mates have also retired now and they’re kind of moving on to their next chapters.
“We’ll still get out there and hit occasionally if anyone asks or any of my mates ask. But no, I’m enjoying what I’m doing now.”
Wimbledon’s legends tournament is played in a round-robin format featuring eight pairs spread across two groups, with the two top-placed teams progressing to the final.
Each pair will share in a guaranteed £24,000 ($A45,800) pay day with runners-up receiving an extra £4000 ($A7600), while the champions will receive a total of £35,000 ($A64,800).
Barty will also be a commentator at this year’s Wimbledon.