Kafelnikov gives up golf to focus on tennis

Yevgeny Kafelnikov is so serious about trying to win this year's Australian Open that he has barred himself from playing golf.

The 1999 Melbourne champion once said he prefers playing golf to tennis because it allows him to get away from the spotlight and unwind.

He always made sure when he made his annual trek to Australia that he packed his clubs with him so he could play a round or two on one of the local links courses, but not this time.

"It's a new commitment that I've made for myself and I'm going to follow that up," Kafelnikov said.

Kafelnikov, who also made the Australian Open final in 2000, said playing golf had helped him escape from the pressure of tennis but his obsession with trying to lower his 14 handicap was starting to distract him.

"Golf is one of my hobbies and it's one way that I can get away from the game and refresh my energy," he said.

"Time is running away from me (to win tennis tournaments) but I'll have plenty of golf when I retire."

Kafelnikov's dedication to his sport is already legendary. The 27-year-old from the Black Sea resort in Sochi is the ironman of men's tennis, playing more matches than anyone else on the circuit in seven of the past eight seasons.

But his decision to abandon his love of golf is a drastic new development for the Russian and his attempt to add another grand slam title to his 1996 French Open win and 1999 Australian Open.

Ominously, Kafelnikov was unusually sluggish in last week's exhibition event in Melbourne, losing two of his three matches, but immediately raised his game for the Australian Open, beating German Michael Kohlmann 6-3 6-3 6-2 in his first round match.

"The main goal for everyone is to get ready for the Australian Open," Kafelnikov said.

"And at the moment everything seems to be in place. I have no complaints.

"I was quite disappointed with a few aspects of my game but there's always room to improve and I'm going to take advantage of my day off to work on the things I'll need for the next few rounds."