Australia's world No. 1 Ash Barty was delighted to return to competition after 11 months on Friday, although her comeback in Adelaide ended with a loss against Simona Halep.
The 24-year-old skipped the U.S. Open, decided against defending her French Open title and hadn't played a competitive match since last February as she opted to remain home due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It's absolutely fantastic to be back. I've genuinely missed this so much," Barty said in an on-court interview after her narrow 3-6, 6-1 (10-8) loss against Halep, the world's second-ranked player, in an exhibition event.