World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty said Monday that she will need to be patient as she returns to competitive action this week for the first time since the US Open in September.  Barty is celebrating 102 consecutive weeks at the top of the women’s game but after falling in the third round at Flushing Meadows she ended her season because of the pandemic and returned to Australia.

Barty, 25, the two-time Grand Slam champion said she spent the time with family and worked on her game in a bid to win her first Australian Open later this month.  The newly engaged Barty, who will open her season at the Adelaide International this week, said: “I love to try to get better each and every day.