Ash Barty will kick start her return to the pro circuit in the Melbourne summer series.

The world No. 1 is set to play her first event in 11 months in the 56-player WTA event staged in Melbourne Park.

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The Australian summer of tennis begins with two WTA 500 and two ATP 250 tournaments.

Barty, second-ranked Simona Halep, 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams, defending Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin and past AO champions Naomi Osaka, Victoria Azarenka and Angelique Kerber are among 49 of the world's Top 50 who have committed to playing the Gippsland Trophy tournament starting January 31st.

It will be Barty's first tournament appearance since she fell to Petra Kvitova in the Doha semifinals last February. The 24-year-old Aussie sat out the remainder of 2020 due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.



Barty launched the 2020 season winning the inaugural Adelaide International title and became the first local woman to reach an Australian Open semifinal since Wendy Turnbull in 1984.

The two ATP 250 tournaments feature several notable names.

Former ATP Finals finalist David Goffin and world No.20 Karen Khachanov lead the field for the Great Ocean Road Open, with former Top 10 players Kevin Anderson and John Isner also in the field alongside Australia’s Jordan Thompson.

Nick Kyrgios returns to action in the Murray River Open, joining former AO champion Stan Wawrinka, world No.19 Grigor Dimitrov, Felix Auger-Aliassime and former US Open champion Marin Cilic.

Photo credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve