“Puts Us at Ease a Bit More”: Ashleigh Barty Takes COVID-19 Vaccine Through the WTA Drive

The coronavirus pandemic is still not over yet. The virus certainly impacted all sports, including tennis, and fans are still not able to witness the action in stadiums. However, multiple vaccines that are effective against the virus to some extent have now come out. Recently, World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty too got herself vaccinated.

Ashleigh Barty is one of the many players who got herself vaccinated through a WTA tour initiative. Interestingly, the World No. 1 player took the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in the United States after competing at the Charleston Open 2021.

“We were looking at different avenues to try and get vaccinated without jumping the queue in Australia to see what our options were. We weren’t able to get much of an answer before we left in March,” said Barty after taking the vaccine.

Barty missed a lot of tournaments in 2020 because of the pandemic. Surprisingly, she traveled outside Australia for the first time in March after skipping much of the tour last year. Taking the dose in the United States proved to be beneficial for her, as she wasn’t in favor of jumping queues in Australia to get the vaccine.

“Nice to know that we have got that small layer of protection”- Ashleigh Barty

The Miami Open 2021 winner Barty praised the WTA for their efforts. She also explained how the tour organized the vaccine drive for the players.

“We were able to get the vaccine, as were a lot of other players, through the Tour, and that they had organized through a certain pharmacy that had extras. And that was important to me knowing that those who were the most vulnerable were able to get it first,” mentioned the Australian.

Barty believes that all the players including herself still try to follow every procedure and protocol. However, she feels good to know that she is a little more protected from the virus after taking the vaccine.

“It was nice to know that we have got that small layer of protection. We still do the right things and abide by all the rules and the guidelines set in place by the Tour. But knowing that we had that little bit of extra protection puts us at ease a bit more,” concluded Barty.

After playing at the Charleston Open 2021, Ashleigh Barty will want to continue playing some great tennis on clay. Will she be able to repeat her 2019 campaign and win her second French Open title this year?

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