Ash Barty withdraws from Roland-Garros during second-round match
Australian world No.1 Ash Barty withdrew from Roland-Garros during her second-round match today because of a hip injury.
The 2019 champion trailed 6-1, 2-2 when she returned to her chair and signalled she was not able to continue against Polish rival Magda Linette on Court Philippe Chatrier.
The 25-year-old started the match with her left thigh bandaged and it was immediately clear she could not move properly. Too slow to chase her opponent’s shots, she suffered in long rallies and struggled with her first serve.
Barty had called for a medical timeout at the end of the opening set.
Dealing with a left hip problem, Barty had struggled through a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 win against 70th-ranked American Bernarda Pera in the first round. She said afterward she was not fully healthy and would adopt a one-match-at-a-time approach.
Barty decided not to defend her title last year because of the coronavirus pandemic, choosing instead to remain home in Australia.
In the build-up to this edition of Roland-Garros, she played 13 matches on clay, winning 11. But she was forced to retire in the quarter-finals in Rome in May because of an injury to her right arm.
