Former Wimbledon champion, 29, resurfaces in viral ad with Rafael Nadal three years after bombshell retirement
A FORMER Wimbledon champion resurfaced in a viral ad alongside Rafael Nadal.
The Australian superstar was the No1 tennis player in the world and reigned at the All England Club in 2021.
7
7
7
She then followed it up by winning her home Grand Slam in January 2022.
But Ash Barty, 29, stunned the sporting world when she suddenly retired from tennis two months later at the top of the game.
She has kept a low profile since, getting married to golfer Garry Kissick and welcoming the second of her two children last week, a daughter called Jordan.
Now, though, after three years out of the public spotlight, Barty made a shock comeback.
She stars in a hilarious 90-second commercial for car manufacturer Kia to promote their new pick-up truck, the Kia Tasman.
Barty plays the role of Tasman Town's newest resident after buying a fixer-upper crumbling old house in the countryside.
She then calls in a load of 'tradies' to get the pad in shape - with Australian sporting heroes including Erin Phillips, Peter Daicos, Dane Swan, Jason Gillespie, Buddy Franklin, Alexander Volkanovski, Dylan Alcott and Pat Rafter all arriving on site in their Kia Tasmans.
Two-time Wimbledon finalist Rafter - naturally - is in charge of the turf with his company 'Best On Grass'.
But when they spot the roof is in need of repairs, recently-retired Nadal is called in, having been sponsored by Kia for many years.
And the Spaniard - dubbed Rafa's Roofs - hilariously picked up the video call on his phone and left Australians in stitches with his cameo and response.
He said: "I am flat out."
Then leaning in towards the camera, he asked: "Is it a cashie?" - Aussie slang for an under-the-table cash-in-hand job.
Like Nadal, Barty won the French Open - albeit just the once in 2019.
That came just two years after she returned to tennis' majors following a two-year absence from the biggest tournaments as she took a break from the sport - and even played semi-pro cricket.
Since hanging up her racquet for good, the Queensland queen has even played in pro golf tournaments as well as having her two children.
Barty was a pundit for the BBC at Wimbledon last year and proved a popular addition - but the timing of Jordan's recent arrival may rule her out of 2025's tournament.
7
7
7
7
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
16 minutes ago
- Reuters
Teenager Konstas not out to prove himself ahead of West Indies return
June 21 (Reuters) - Teenage batter Sam Konstas has vowed to take a more conventional approach than in his early test appearances for Australia after earning a recall to the team that will face the West Indies in the two nations' first test in Bridgetown from Wednesday. The 19-year-old has been drafted into the side to replace opener Marnus Labuschagne, having made headlines with his outlandish shot selection and rapid scoring during his debut against India in Melbourne in the Boxing Day test. "I still can't believe it," Konstas told Australian media when asked about his swashbuckling introduction to test cricket. "I don't know what was going through my mind at that time. I thought it was right in the moment. It was good fun. "The emotions probably got to me with the crowd. It was good reflecting and having a bit of time off, trying to strengthen my game. Hopefully we get to win the next test match. "I feel like I trust people that I work with and they understand my game. I'm not trying to prove to anyone how I'm going to play. I just want to be myself and obviously understand when to take the game on." Konstas hit 60 runs in his debut innings and kept his place for the following test in Sydney as the Australians wrapped up a 3-1 series win over Virat Kohli and company. He was included in the squad that travelled for a two-test series against Sri Lanka later in January, but was not selected for either match. Konstas has earned a recall for the three-test series in the Caribbean due to Labuschagne's struggles with the bat, while Josh Inglis has also been recalled as a result of a finger injury sustained by Steve Smith. "Obviously, it's a tough team to crack and (they have) got legends of the game in that team," Konstas said. "Very excited for the opportunity, and hopefully I can grab it with both hands. "I've been training really hard and I understand the reasons why they picked (other players in recent tests). "I'm just trying to be in the present moment, trying to focus on a few key areas with my batting coach, and feel like I've come a long way. Hopefully, I can display that in the next few test matches. "It's a dream come true, to be honest. Nineteen years old, playing for your country, travelling the world, getting to experience different cultures and against the best players as well. I'm lucky to be where I am."
Daily Mail
20 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Drama in Darwin as V8 Supercars is marred by TWO crashes just 15 seconds into the race
Broc Feeney has extended his lead at the top of the Supercars standings, holding onto pole position to win a crash-filled first race of the Darwin Triple Crown. The Triple Eight speedster's third consecutive win opened up his championship gap over teammate Will Brown to 107 points, keeping his cool despite the chaos unfolding behind him on Saturday. Feeney held off Tickford's Cam Waters at the opening turn and remained in front until the end. Waters opted to change all four tyres in his compulsory pit stop, sacrificing time off the track in the hope his fresher tyres would give him a speed boost to haul down Feeney later in the race. While he closed the gap to 1.7 seconds, it was not enough to haul down the 22-year-old, even with a clutch issue hampering his drive. 'It was super stressful. I didn't know how it was going to go,' he told Fox Sports. 'But it was awesome fun. Cam chasing me down, it was super hard out there. Hot, stressing, I had lots of stuff going in my head. 'I bloody love coming to Darwin, so stoked to win here.' It's Feeney's fourth race win at the venue, having won both races in 2024. It took just one turn for the first big shunt of the race to bring out the safety car. Wheel contact from James Golding fired Jaxon Evans into the barrier at the exit of turn one at high speed, dislodging his front left wheel and ruling his car out of the rest of the day's action. Thankfully, Evans walked away from the incident unscathed, except for a slightly sore foot. There was more drama straight off the restart. The grid was pinched together as drivers jostled for position on the 1.1km-long straight; at one point cars were five-wide as braking ahead squeezed the available space on the track. ABSOLUTE CHAOS ON THE SAFETY CAR RESTART! We're under control of the bp Ultimate Safety Car once more! #RepcoSC #Supercars — Supercars (@supercars) June 21, 2025 Broc Feeney escaped the carnage to claim victory in his Red Bull Ampol Racing Chevrolet Camaro Contact amid the cramped conditions sent Jack Le Broq into the wall, losing his front-left wheel, and seconds later a tangle between Nick Percat and Richie Stanaway on turn five left the PremiAir Racing man with heavy damage. Meanwhile, Ryan Wood's Ford Mustang lost power and emerged immobile out of the chaos. Walkinshaw Andretti United later revealed his car had suffered engine failure and was in doubt to start in race 18. We had to wait until lap 12 for the first green lap of the race. Off the second restart, Brodie Kostecki bumped past Matt Payne on the inside of turn one to move into third position and was handed a five-second penalty as a result. Payne eventually finished in third, while Brown managed to close six spots to finish in eighth after failing to make the top 10 earlier for both races. Hometown hero Bryce Fullwood narrowly missed out on a podium, finishing four seconds behind Payne in fourth. Feeney will start from pole position again in the second 120km race of the day, which kicks off at 3.40pm (AEST).
BBC News
37 minutes ago
- BBC News
Youngster serves up Chatteris tennis-a-thon challenge
A tennis-loving teenager is taking part in a 14-hour marathon match to raise funds for his beloved scout Appleby, 18, has been a member of Chatteris Tennis Club in Cambridgeshire since he was six - the same age he became a beaver are paying to play him and sponsoring him while he is on court from 07:00 until 21:30 BST on Saturday, as he makes the most of the available is well prepared for the hot weather and will be wearing a hat, sunscreen and taking breaks. His mother, Anne, said she was very proud of her son, adding: "I think he is amazing." Mr Appleby, from Wimblington, said his passion for tennis and outdoor activities started at a young age."Now I am 18 I have become a Network member of the 1st Doddington Scout Group," he said."Last year, one of our leaders took us on a summer camp to Belgium - our first international trip in 24 years. "It went so well we decided to travel to Holland next year, but we need to raise funds for extra activities - so I immediately thought up a tennis-a-thon." Anne Appleby, 60, said Oliver was currently studying and hoped to become a sports journalist in future."He got his love of tennis from myself and his gran, my mum," she said."She would take me to Wimbledon to watch players like Margaret Court when I was a youngster and we always watched it on telly."Mrs Appleby said Oliver took to tennis "like a duck to water" and the tennis-a-thon married "his passion for scouting and his passion for tennis wonderfully". Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
