Barty promotes tennis in indigenous communities

FILE PHOTO: Tennis - WTA Premier 5 - Qatar Open - Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, Doha, Qatar - February 28, 2020 Australia's Ashleigh Barty in action during her semi final match against Czech Republic's Petra Kvitova REUTERS/Ibraheem Al Omari

SYDNEY (Reuters) - World number one Ash Barty has a bit of time on her hands after deciding to skip the U.S. Open and has spent some of it promoting tennis in indigenous communities in the far north of Australia.

The 24-year-old French Open champion became the first Indigenous Australian since Evonne Goolagong Cawley to top the world rankings when she hit number one last July.