"I have no idea when he'll be back on court" - Ashleigh Barty admits to being in the dark regarding a Kyrios comeback

Retired Australian tennis star Ashleigh Barty has revealed she knows nothing about the future plans of compatriot Nick Kyrgios, who has been out of action due to injury.

The former World No.1 retired at the top of the game in March 2022, soon after winning that year's Australian Open. The 28-year old has kept a low profile, only being thrust into the spotlight when she gave birth to her first child, Hayden, in 2023.

The three-time Grand Slam champion made an appearance at the ongoing Wimbledon Championships, where she was invited to play at the women's doubles legends event. During her press conference, Barty spoke on various topics, and admitted to not knowing when injured countryman Nick Kyrgios would be making his return to the tour.

"I have no idea when he'll be back on the court," disclosed Barty. "I haven't seen him. We haven't crossed paths. I think we were on different days. As soon as I finished, I went home to put Hayden to bed. Different times, I think."

Furthermore, Barty gave her opinion on compatriot Alex De Minaur, who was forced to retire from his quarterfinal match against Novak Djokovic due to an injury sustained in his previous match.

"Alex is a resilient athlete," she said. "He's a great guy. I know this is going to be a challenge. But there's going to be a silver lining somewhere along the way that he's going to grow from, absolutely. He's too smart, too driven, too passionate, too motivated not to learn from this and not to grow.
"It hurts, though. You absolutely can't hide behind the fact that it's horrible. You have to be able to accept it. It's okay to let it all sit there for a while, but I'm sure he can come back. When he gets back on the court, fit and healthy, he'll do what he does best again."

The 2021 Wimbledon champion spoke about her new gig with the BBC, for whom she recently began doing commentary.

"I hope people at home enjoy what I have to say," Barty said. "I don't know if I'm right or wrong a lot of the time, but I still enjoy it. It's been really fun working with the BBC. I've worked with some of the best in our game in that sense. I've learned a lot and I've really enjoyed watching tennis live again. You have a good view and you're able to absorb what's happening on the court."