Tears and triumphs just part of Barty’s view from top of world

Over the past two years, every time Ash Barty has arrived at a grand slam, she has raised the bar.

Australia's Ashleigh Barty talks to the media after suffering a defeat to Alison Riske. Picture: AP

Over the past two years, every time Ash Barty has arrived at a grand slam, she has raised the bar.

The 23-year-old had entered Wimbledon the world No 1 and tournament favourite; rightly so, given the strength of her form over the past six weeks.

And, by courtesy of a defeat to Karolina Pliskova, who endured a heartbreaker when a dead let cord ended her epic against her Czech compatriot Karolina Muchova 13-11 in the third set, the Australian will remain No 1 when she rejoins the tour in North America next month.

As the top-ranked woman was assessing her exit in the round of 16 at Wimbledon, a hint of red eyes betrayed her disappointment.

That was camouflaged by her model sportsmanship as she praised American Alison Riske for the quality of her performance when winning 3-6 6-2 6-3.

The expectation Barty faces is now far greater by virtue of a two-month swing of which she feels rightly proud.

“It’s incredibly tough right now. But in saying that, it’s also only a tennis match,” she said.

“I try to do everything I can to win the tennis match. If I don’t, the sun is still going to come up tomorrow.”

Should this Wimbledon be considered a failure? If not for her efforts in Paris, the narrative surrounding Barty would be that she was leaving London on the back of a career-best performance at Wimbledon.

Instead, she is the beaten favourite. But it is well worth noting that even the greatest lose more tournaments than they win.

This is Serena Williams’s 72nd grand slam tournament. She has won 23 titles.

The 37-year-old was particularly impressive yesterday, though, when routing Carla Suarez Navarro yesterday and last night played Barty’s conqueror, Riske.

If Barty’s efforts at grand slam level over the past two years are considered, this should be viewed as another step forward.

The Australian Open in 2018 was the last time she failed to set a career best at a major.

But she jumped from the third round into a quarter-final in Melbourne this year.

The giant leap forward in Paris, from the second round to champion in 12 months, has confirmed her world-class credentials.

Her previous best effort coming into Wimbledon occurred last year when reaching the third round.

“Overall, it’s been a hell of a trip. (I’m) disappointed right now. Obviously it’s a tough pill to swallow,” she said.

“In the same breath, it’s been an incredible few months. (It is) new ground for me here at Wimbledon. This is the best we’ve done.”

Indisputably, the past month has been a massive learning curve. Barty has handled the surge of interest in her with aplomb.

There has been no dip in work ethic or desire. Potentially tricky questions have been defused with the diplomacy of a veteran.

She is an iconic athlete on and off the court and an inspiration for younger players around the globe, not just in Australia. And she will benefit from the experience.

A loss in a match she was favoured to win, despite the high stakes involved, is not going to change who she is, deter her in the future, nor detract from her achievements in a stellar European summer.

“Today wasn’t my day, but that’s not going to define us as a team, it’s not going to define me as a person. I think that’s the most important thing,” she said.

Barty had been on the road since the Madrid Open at the start of May.

After the singles loss, the Australian withdrew from her third round doubles with Victoria Azarenka, citing the arm problem she has managed through the summer.

A rest is well needed and deserved given there is still much tennis for Barty to play in the second half of a season that will extend to mid-November, making it her busiest year to date. She will be the top seed when she returns at the Canadian Open, where she reached the semi-finals last year, in just under a month.

The Cincinnati Open will follow prior to the US Open, where she reached the last 16 a year ago and won the doubles with CoCo Vandeweghe.

Barty will then head to Asia for significant events including her maiden appearance in the WTA Finals in singles. She is also likely to qualify for doubles.

In November, she will try to lead Australia to their first Fed Cup title since 1974 in the final in Perth against the French.

“I think it’s also important to really celebrate what we’ve been able to achieve over the last eight weeks.

“It’s been an extremely positive time for me and my team,” she said. “(I’ll) go and rest and recover with the family back home, then switch focus back to the hard courts.

“In the US — I love that time of year, I love getting back over to the summertime there. We go back, we knuckle down, train again, then we go again. “(And) there might be a beer or two. We’ll have to wait and see.”