Will Ash Barty be the next big tennis name to un-retire?

It’s interesting that she chose to post the video. It’s kind of like, does that send a message, now that all these peers who were playing the tour at the same time as her are coming back? Pam Shriver, Tennis Channel analyst and coach, reacting to the brief video Barty posted a week ago, in a rare appearance on her Instagram account

You don’t have to be a conspiracy theorist to wonder if Shriver isn’t onto something with her intriguing speculation. Barty declared her retirement while at the top of the game in 2022, but we have abundant evidence that swearing off tennis, unlike being driven off by age or injury, is by no means the definitive state generally implied by the verb, “to retire.”

In addition to famous “un-retirements”—think Martina Hingis, Kim Clijsters and, most recently, Caroline Wozniacki—the WTA now has a formidable fleet of women who have stepped away from the game, only to craft or plan revivals after having children. A team selected from that cohort (which includes Wozniacki, Naomi Osaka, Angelique Kerber, Victoria Azarenka and Elina Svitolina) would be the equal—or superior to—any other group composed of active WTA pros.

But hold your horses if you’re a Barty fan hoping for a comeback. Shriver also told me that her Australian friends and contacts don’t believe that Barty, though she is still just 27, will change her mind about quitting the tour. ESPN analyst Rennae Stubbs, who is one of that number, told me via text: “No chance [of a Barty unretirement], and also I have no idea. Honesty. Ash is very secretive, so [I have] no clue.”

Chris Evert was equally forceful, and even used the same two words as Stubbs: “No chance.”

There’s ample reason for skepticism about a Barty return, because not all mothers have the same desires and goals, and not all retirements are the same. Age, physical fitness, income potential and degree-of-contentment have a shaping influence on the thinking of those pros who were not muscled out of the game by age and/or ranking.

There is also the sense that a number of the well-known women who opted for an extended break return because they have a nagging sense of unfinished business. Clijsters, for example, did not hit her stride as a Grand Slam until she returned from two long breaks.

And take Wozniacki: She’s a magnificent athlete (in 2014 she blazed through the New York marathon while playing tennis full-time). But she developed a painful case of rheumatoid arthritis that threw a spanner into her career in her late 20s. The toll of her condition, combined with her desire to have children, led her to retire at age 29 in 2020.

By then, the Danish star had achieved the No. 1 ranking, but she had “only” one major title on her resume. It did not take Wozniacki long to recoup her passion and drive after a lengthy “retirement,” during which she got a handle on her condition and also had two children. She has professed surprise at how quickly her appetite for topflight tennis has returned.

Naomi Osaka’s brilliant career stalled early in 2021 when, grappling with the cost of her success, she revealed that she was struggling with mental health. She floundered for a period before stepping away from tennis entirely in the fall of 2022, soon to have a child. She did not declare herself retired, and at age 24, the former No. 1 and four-time Grand Slam singles champion is planning a return.

While every player has a unique history, these cases suggests that a Barty comeback is possible—if still less than probable. But there are significant reasons to doubt that Barty will revive her career.

For one, Barty struggled from the get-go with the most basic requirement of her profession, ceaseless international travel. It is especially burdensome for Aussies, who can’t steal quick trips home for the bulk of the year.

No chance [of a Barty unretirement], and also I have no idea. Honesty. Ash is very secretive, so [I have] no clue. Rennae Stubbs

Barty, as Evert said, is a “homebody”—so much so that she had already taken one long hiatus because of her basic homesickness. At age 18, she was a celebrated prodigy who stepped away and, among other things, ended up playing cricket at home in Oz. She returned to tennis early in 2016, ostensibly to take care of unfinished business.

“She (Barty) retired once before and that told me that the stress and pressure of, not just the competition, but also the traveling lifestyle was not always fun for her,” Evert told me. “She is a homebody, she’s married, she has a child. In my opinion, there is no way she wants to or will come back.”

Bear in mind that in 2022, Barty accomplished the most coveted feat for an Australian player: she became the first native woman in nearly half-a-century to win the Australian Open singles title. By then, she had already bagged the second-greatest prize (for Aussies), Wimbledon. Barty also finished as the year-end No. 1 WTA player three years running (2019 -‘22).

She is a homebody, she’s married, she has a child. In my opinion, there is no way she wants to or will come back. Chris Evert

Barty quit the game immediately after winning in Melbourne in 2022, declaring that she had fulfilled all her dreams. “Who does that?” Shriver wondered, noting that Pete Sampras was the last player who signed off on his career with a win that capped his career—in his case, it was his triumph at the 2002 US Open.

That ends the discussion right there, right? Well, not so fast. About a month ago, Barty appeared on the Australian YouTube chat show, “Let’s Talk.” When the host asked her about the future, her reply was open-ended.

“Down the track, wherever the path leads me is where I was meant to go,” Barty said. “And I have absolutely no idea what comes next for me and my family as a unit, and for the people around me in a pro capacity as well. I used to be terrified of that. Now I’m excited.”

To be continued?