World No.1 Ashleigh Barty will make her first top-level tennis appearance in nearly a year when she joins a star-studded exhibition in Adelaide this month, organisers said on Thursday.
Barty, who has remained on top of the rankings despite not playing since last February, joins a field which also includes Major-winners Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka and Simona Halep.
Men’s Grand Slam champions Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem, along with Jannik Sinner, the highly rated World No. 36 from Italy, will also play the event on January 29.
“I am looking forward to playing my first match for the 2021 season in Adelaide,” Barty said in a statement.
It will be her first match since a semifinal loss to Petra Kvitova at the Qatar Open last February.
