"I love the sport but I don't know" - Barty about turning to golf instead of tennis

Ashleigh Barty has played golf for a long time as a hobby and while she enjoys the sport committing to it professionally is a big unknown to her.

Barty stunned the world of tennis when she announced her sudden retirement from tennis after the Australian Open triumph. To those that knew her it did not come as a surprise but to many fans it certainly did. Since then Barty has been largely spending time in Australia which is what she likes to do most however golf has been a hobby she's also practised since retiring.

Barty is an avid golfer using the sport to switch off from tennis and she's actually in St. Andrews this week to watch the 150th Open Championship. Speaking with reporters there, Barty admitted she is unsure whether she would ever commit to playing golf professionally:

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“You never have that answer. I love the sport, it has been a hobby of mine for a long time, but I don’t know if I will ever be fully committed to going out on the range and doing the required practice and the discipline, but I love the sport.”

She continued:

“With tennis, it is so different. Tennis is a quick pace, reactive, receptive sport. Golf is the opposite. It is slow, you have time to think, you have control and time to analyse what you need to do. It is a polar opposite, and almost a form of meditation when I was playing tennis. It is a lot of fun. It can be frustrating but I really enjoy it.”

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