Ashleigh Barty is set to return to this year’s Brisbane International but this time in a different role as the Australian tennis legend is set to headline a charity event.
Earlier this year, the former two-time Grand Slam champion launched her own foundation which has the goal to provide more opportunities to Australian kids.
Now, the 28-year-old will be Brisbane International Ballkids Ambassador – the kids will wear the patch with her foundation’s logo – and she will team up with another Australian legend Pat Rafter, as well as with some other ATP and WTA stars participating at the tournament.
Barty: I’m incredible proud and looking forward to the charity match and meeting youngsters
“I’m grateful to the Brisbane International team for providing me with an opportunity to raise awareness for the Ash Barty Foundation and to engage with young Australians throughout the tournament,” the former world No. 1 said in a statement.
“I have been fortunate in terms of my journey but not all kids have that same experience. The Ash Barty Foundation’s goal is to provide more opportunities for boys and girls to discover what they love to do and to give them the ability to follow their dreams.
“I am incredibly proud of the work we have done so far, but it’s only the beginning. It will be a lot of fun to hit on the court with Pat Rafter and friends for the charity match and to meet many young tennis fans.”
Ashleigh Barty© Ashleigh Barty/Instagram – Fair Use
During her pro tennis, the 28-year-old made four main draw appearances in Brisbane.
A bit surprisingly, Barty never had much success at the Australian tournament, three times losing in the round-of-16 and once exiting the event in the first round.
However, it should be mentioned that all of those appearances came early in her career, with the last coming in 2019.
The Brisbane charity event will take place on December 29th.
Tennis World USA