‘Such a unique opportunity’ – Ashleigh Barty announces new sporting venture
Former world number one Ashleigh Barty has announced that she will take part in a series of exhibition golf tournaments in her biggest sporting move since retiring from professional tennis.
This month the 25-year-old announced her first career move away from the sporting world as she is set to publish a series of children’s books, as well as a memoir.
However, there has been lots of speculation since the Australian Open Champion’s shock retirement last month that she will at some point return to elite level of a sport other than tennis.
Barty has now added more fuel to the speculations of her post-retirement career as the three-time Slam champion has announced she will play a series of golf exhibition tournaments which will feature 23 other sporting celebrities, including the likes of football manager Pep Guardiola and former Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps.
This announcement comes after previous chatter that Ashleigh Barty, who plays off a handicap of four, could make her way into the world of golf.
Earlier this month she won the Brookwater Golf and Country Club ladies tournament in Australia for a second time after winning the event in 2020.
Many also believed that she would return to the world of professional cricket, having previously played for Brisbane Heat in the women’s Big Bash League (BBL) back in 2015 and 2016 during a hiatus from tennis.
Speaking of the Icon Series, which is set to take place in June this year, Barty said she was looking forward to the competition and hopes her participation in the series will have a positive impact on younger generations.
She said: “It’s such a unique opportunity to have fun, test yourself and compete.
“I hope through my participation in the series that we can encourage more women and girls to participate in golf around the world.”
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