Heartwarming detail revealed as Ash Barty prepares to make a shock comeback to the court at Wimbledon

Former world number 1 Ash Barty will reunite with her good friend and former doubles partner Casey Dellacqua when she makes her stunning return to the Wimbledon court next month.

The pair will take part in the doubles event at the invitation of the legends.

Barty announced her return on Thursday morning, but it was initially unclear who her partner would be. The three-time Grand Slam champion has not played since her sudden retirement in March 2022.

Since retiring, Barty has married and become mother to her son Hayden and her only sporting success came at the New Zealand Open pro-am event, where she tested her golf skills.

She will play in the friendly match scheduled for Tuesday, July 9 (UK time). Women’s doubles, men’s doubles and mixed doubles will be played.

Barty previously won the French Open in 2019, becoming the first Australian woman to do so in 46 years. She claimed the Australian Open in 2022 and retired two months later as the reigning world No. 1.

Barty returns to play at the venue where she tasted Grand Slam success for the first time since her retirement in 2022

Barty and Dellacqua have a history of success together, reaching three Grand Slam finals, including the 2013 Wimbledon final.

“I can announce that the band is back together, ABCD,” Dellacqua said on AO Show Weekly, referring to their initials.

“This is why I love tennis, because no matter what level, I get the chance to play with my best friend, who, yes, is an extremely good player and has won championships before.

“We’re just going to have a great time and enjoy being together again as friends on the tennis court, which we’ve loved to do all our lives… I’m actually really excited about it.”

Barty shocked the tennis world in 2022 when she retired from tennis to focus on parenting her son Hayden

Barty, pictured with her husband Garry Kissick, has rejected several previous offers to return to the sport

Dellacqua added that both she and Barty are now in different stages of their lives, having children and talking about different things, but their love for tennis remains unchanged.

‘Tennis is always there. And that is the glue that brought us together. So we are really lucky,” she added.

In 2022, Dellacqua took part in the invitational event with compatriot Alicia Molik. Barty, meanwhile, fulfilled her childhood dream by winning at the All England Club in 2021, but never defended her title after withdrawing from the Australian Open in 2022.

Barty gave birth to her son Hayden in July 2023. Soon after, she shared photos of herself on a tennis court, but instead chose to compete in a pro-am golf tournament in New Zealand.

Barty and Dellacqua were both previously part of a strong Australian team that included Jarmila Gajdosova and Sam Stosur

Over the summer, Barty appeared as a spectator around tennis tournaments and also unveiled her foundation.

Despite this, she insisted that she would not follow other mothers such as Naomi Osaka, Caroline Wozniacki and Elina Svitolina in making a comeback.

“I miss parts of it, but mostly I miss seeing my friends,” she said of quitting the tour.

The Wimbledon Legends tournament features a round-robin format with eight pairs divided into two groups. The best teams advance to the finals. Each pair is guaranteed £24,000 ($A45,800), with the runners-up receiving an additional £4,000 ($A7,600) and the champions receiving a total of £35,000 ($A64,800).

Additionally, Barty recently announced that she will be part of the BBC TV commentary team for this year’s Wimbledon tournament.