Brave Barty takes the road less travelled

Right till the end of her short, brilliant tennis career, Ash Barty was brave. She played the game in her own sweet way and left it on her own charming terms. She sliced, dinked, shrugged and then shut the door. Bjorn Borg retired at 26, but she has done it at 25. There are, she was telling us, more peaks to climb in places outside a court.

Barty is brave because she is No. 1, owns the world and is letting it go. Here, take it back, thank you. To know you have had enough, and to act on it, takes courage.