Opinion | Bowing out a champion, Ash Barty leaves us wondering what might have been for career that had only just begun

For all sportsmen and women, time remains the unconquerable obstacle. They play at its mercy and pray their bodies withstand its ravages. They live knowing with absolute certainty that it will, eventually, conquer them.

The list of possibilities that lay ahead of her would take even more. With her all-court game and proven success over all three surfaces, some boldly predicted that even Serena Williams, who has won 23 grand slams and is second only to the 24 won by Margaret Court, should start looking over her shoulder.

In January this year, Barty bulldozed her way to the Australian Open title- the first Australian to triumph at Melbourne Park in 44 years. She entered the tournament having ended the previous three years as world No 1. But despite this, Barty was not the main attraction.

Global attention was focused on Naomi Osaka and Emma Raducanu. Osaka’s struggle with mental difficulties and the ensuing discussion it generated within the tennis world was one of the leading sports stories of 2021, with Olympic and world champions joining in the fray.

Meanwhile, in Raducanu, the sport discovered its new darling. The unseeded and charismatic Brit glided across the courts of Flushing Meadows to a stunning US Open victory. Overnight, she became a fan favourite and even without any title wins since, she captures headlines in any tournament she plays in.

Perhaps this shared attention helped Barty. In Melbourne, her steely calm showed as she took the title to win her first hard court major. With her 2019 title on the clay of Roland Garros and her success on the lawns of Wimbledon last year, Barty had now won a grand slam on each of the surfaces. At 25, she did so faster than Roger Federer or Novak Djokovic. It seemed inevitable that a US Open title and with it, a career grand slam, would follow.