I’ve had my fair share of tears this week: Heartbroken Ash Barty on injury-forced French Open exit

Top seed Ashleigh Barty said it was “heartbreaking” to retire injured midway through the second set of her French Open second-round match against Poland’s Magda Linette on Thursday.

The Australian, who won the title on her last visit to Roland Garros in 2019, left the court for medical treatment after losing the first set 6-1.

She had struggled with a hip problem during her first-round win over Bernarda Pera on Tuesday and called it quits at 2-2 in the second set on Court Philippe Chatrier on Thursday.

Barty also retired injured from the Italian Open during her quarter-final against Coco Gauff last month.

“It’s heartbreaking,” admitted the 25-year-old, who said she suffered the “new” injury in practice last weekend.

“We have had such a brilliant clay-court season, and to kind of get a little bit unlucky with timing more than anything – to have something kind of acute happen over the weekend and just kind of run out of time against the clock is disappointing.

“It won’t take away the brilliant three months that we have had, as much as it hurts right now.”

It is Barty’s earliest exit from a Grand Slam tournament since a second-round loss at Roland Garros in 2018. She missed the majority of last season, including her French Open…

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