15th August, 1999

I'M READY FOR YEVY

IF I can serve as well as I did in beating Michael Chang on Friday, I'm, ready for anyone.

I don't think it can get any better than my 6-2, 6-1 win to move into the semis of the ATP Championships. My record since May now stands at 28-6 and I really feel like I'm in for a good summer.

It all came together for me playing Michael. It was a matter of timing after a lot of tennis in Europe and the Davis Cup.

Speaking of the Davis Cup, my next match has special significance. I'll be playing Yevgeny Kafelnikov, who beat Brit Tim Henman 7-5, 7-5.

It will be a preview of our match when we clash in the Davis Cup semi-final against Russia in Brisbane next month.

If I can serve like I did against Michael and hit my groundies, I am confident of winning. My only concern is tendinitis in the my right shoulder had been affecting my serve and backhand in earlier matches, so I'm on a course of anti-inflammatories.

The tablets have enable me to get out and practise as hard as I normally would.

I played pretty well against Daniel Vacek in Cincinnati after taking the tablets and the pain has pretty much gone for the moment. I didn't feel it much against Nicolas Lapentti, either, in the third-round.

But it's a problem I'm going to have to monitor throughout the year. It's possible I'll have to change my schedule if the soreness persists.

Basically it comes down to the fact that I need to be serving well to be playing well.

And to be serving well, I need to be able to practise hard. If I can't practise, I can't play tennis, really.

I'm confident I can manage the problem. Surgery is not an option. I've had this problem on and off during my career and it flared again at the French Open.

I'm hoping the use of anti inflammatories can help me get through tournaments in Cincinnati, Indianopolis, Long Island and the US Open before I come home for the Davis Cup. By then, the problem might have righted itself.

NICOLAS Kiefer beat me for the third time this year when we played in Montreal last week. I can't say it's a record I particularly like, but I've still yet to play good tennis against Kiefer. He's the type of player who can get under your skin. If you want to beat him, you have to play well.

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