Ashleigh Barty pulls out of WTA Finals

MELBOURNE: World number one Ashleigh Barty will not defend her WTA Finals title in Mexico next month after the Wimbledon champion decided to bring an early end to her 2021 season.

Barty won the season-ending tournament when it was last held in Shenzhen in November 2019 but the Australian will not travel to Guadalajara to participate in this year's event running November 10-17.

"I wanted to let everyone know that I won't be competing in any further tournaments in 2021, including the WTA Finals in Mexico," Barty said in a statement.

"It was a difficult decision but I need to prioritise my body and my recovery from our 2021 season and focus on having the strongest pre-season for the Australian summer." Agencies