Ash Barty’s withdrawal from Indian Wells casts doubt on remaining season

Australia's Ashleigh Barty, the number one ranked female singles tennis player in the world, has withdrawn from the WTA India Wells singles draw, tournament organisers have announced.

Officials gave no reason for Barty's decision to pull out of next month's women's draw on Monday, which was already suffering from the absence of several top-ranked players – including Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams.

Her coach Craig Tyzzer said earlier this month that Barty needs a rest when discussing her potential withdrawal from the WTA Finals in November.

"She just needs a rest. She was physically and mentally exhausted. So I told her to just get away and have a holiday and just refresh everything.

Barty, winner of two Grand Slam tournaments (Roland Garros in 2019 and Wimbledon in 2021), had a disappointing performance at the US Open earlier this month when she lost in the third round against American Shelby Rogers.

This was expected to be Barty's first action since her early US Open exit.

Barty has competed in two previous Indian Wells events with her best result being a round-of-16 appearance in 2019.

The Indian Wells tournament runs from October 4 to 17. It is making a return to the tennis calendar for the first time in more than a year and a half due to the global coronavirus pandemic.

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