You don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone.
A photo at the Australian Grand Prix stopped me in my tracks on the weekend.
At first glance, it’s a wholesome and lovely image — two of Australia’s great sporting champions Daniel Ricciardo and Ash Barty arm in arm with massive grins on their faces.
But I was struck by an immediate sense of sadness that Ricciardo and Barty are no longer competing at the highest level, where they had such success showcasing their Aussie determination and flair.
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Ricciardo is enjoying being away from the basket case that is McLaren, and while he says he wants to be back on the F1 grid next year, it will require a minor miracle for him to drive for a top team. His F1 career is most likely over.
The 33-year-old is credited with F1’s booming popularity in the US and his million-dollar smile and cheeky personality is a golden exilir for fans and marketers alike.
But the lust for Ricciardo’s enthusiasm is tinged with sadness as he wastes a year on the sidelines when there could be plenty still left in the tank.
Part of the reason why there’s so much speculation about Ricciardo’s future is because fans so desperately want him to succeed so they can cheer for him.
Barty retired in the prime of her career aged 25 and is now expecting her first child while forging a life away from the lonely grind of the tennis tour.
And hats off to her — not many athletes get to retire at the top of their game. But while it’s her life to lead however she wants, long-suffering Aussie tennis fans might feel robbed of 10 more Barty grand slams victories considering only Sam Stosur’s 2011 US Open win broke up a 39 year drought between Evonne Goolagong Cawley’s 1980 Wimbledon triumph and Barty’s 2019 French Open success.
When she hung up her racquet, her budding rivalry with Poland’s Iga Swiatek was only just getting started and promised plenty more.
And wouldn’t you have loved to see Barty backhand-slice her way to wins over powerhitting players like Australian Open finalists Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina?
It’s probably no coincidence that Ricciardo and Barty are now both employed by Optus as the telco’s Chiefs of Inspiration and Optimism, respectively.
And while the pair deserve every ambassadorial dollar that comes their way, part of me wishes they were still inspiring and sparking optimism on the racetrack and on the court.
The photo of the duo on the sidelines of the Grand Prix in Melbourne begs the question — who is now Australia’s most beloved sporting star that the nation can get behind?
Who can we be proud of for how they conduct themselves on and off the sporting battlefield?
Sam Kerr is the obvious answer. She is dominating week in, week out for Chelsea and is already Australia’s greatest ever goal scorer.
The women’s FIFA World Cup later this year will be massive, and the Matildas will be hoping to go as deep into the knockout stages as they can on home soil.
The controversial answer is probably Nick Kyrgios. His matches at grand slams have become must-watch sporting entertainment and love him or hate him, he is the biggest sporting drawcard we have to offer.
But the brutal truth is despite his 220km/h serves and breaking-the-mould style, Kyrgios’ legacy will remain unfulfilled if he doesn’t win a grand slam.
Another contender is golfer Cameron Smith, who captured our hearts when he put on a putting exhibition with his flowing mullet to claim his maiden major title at The Open in Scotland last year.
But his defection to the rebel Saudi-backed LIV Tour, run by Greg Norman (another problematic Aussie sporting legend), has somewhat tarnished his reputation.
How will we feel if Smith wins the Masters at Augusta next week? Will all be forgiven if he gets to don the famous green jacket?
There’s more to play out in the war between PGA and LIV but there could soon come a time when Smith is banned from competing at the four majors. What a disaster that would be.
There’s nothing like seeing an Aussie sportsperson punch above their weight on the global stage. But the question remains, where’s our next beloved superstar coming from?
Patty Mills led the Boomers to a droughtbreaking medal in Tokyo, but he’s in the twilight of his career and struggling to get minutes for the Brooklyn Nets.
Basketballer Lauren Jackson and eight-time surfing world champion Stephanie Gilmore are all-time Australian greats but they are reaching the end of their run.
It’s tough for athletes in Olympic sports, like swimmer Ariarne Titmus and canoe slalom superstar Jessica Fox, to be in the conversation because they don’t compete on a weekly basis.
Aussies Jack Robinson and Molly Picklum could be the next big things in world surfing.
Oscar Piastri has been pegged as a future F1 world champion, but judging by the McLaren tractor he’s driving in his debut season, that could be a long time coming.
Josh Giddey is notching up triple-doubles for fun and has the world at his feet in the NBA playing for the improving Oklahoma City Thunder, but his American twang is getting stronger by the day.
So if Pat Cummins could please tear through England’s batting line-up in the Ashes this winter, that would do us a world of good.
And Ash and Daniel, we still love you.