Barty, Stephens keep eyes on the ball outside Wimbledon

LONDON (Reuters) - It is not just the on-court action at the All England Club that is proving to be a big draw for the players competing at Wimbledon this fortnight.

Barty, Stephens keep eyes on the ball outside Wimbledon

(Reuters)





While whacking a furry yellow ball across manicured lawns remains a priority for most players -- maybe with the exception of Bernard Tomic who was fined £45,000 after organisers deemed he had 'tanked' his first-round match -- Ash Barty and Sloane Stephens are also having a ball away from the courts.

With the women's football World Cup going on in neighbouring France and the women's cricket Ashes taking place in England, there is plenty of other sporting action to keep the duo occupied once they are done with their tennis commitments.

Stephens, who is engaged to Toronto FC forward Jozy Altidore, has been spoilt for choice when it comes to watching football.

Not satisfied with cheering on her female compatriots as they beat England to set up a World Cup final against the Netherlands, she has also been staying up late to watch her countrymen reach the Gold Cup final, where they face Mexico in Chicago.

"I have been watching it. It's not like I'm so busy here that I have a lot of other things to do. I have definitely been

keeping up," the 2017 U.S. Open champion said after reaching the third round of Wimbledon with a brisk 6-0 6-2 win over China's Yafan Wang.

"Obviously, with the World Cup and then the men's, the Gold Cup, between my two soccers, I'm fully booked."

World number one Barty has even closer ties with the Australian women's cricket team as she played alongside some of them during her 17-month hiatus from tennis when she played professional Big Bash Cricket in her home country.

"I chat to them quite a lot," the French Open champion said after dispatching Alison van Uytvanck 6-1 6-3.

But with Barty playing both singles and women's doubles at Wimbledon, she has no idea if she can fit in a get-together with her cricket pals.

"There are some that I stay in touch with a little bit more than others. We're trying to work out a time where we can

catch up. I'm not sure our schedules will align easily for us to be able to have a catch-up.

"But for sure I'm keeping an eye on their progress."





(Reporting by Pritha Sarkar, editing by Ed Osmond)


Share
3 min read

Published

Source: Reuters


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world