13th February, 2000
ON THE MEND
My injured shoulder continues to improve and I'm still on track to play in the Davis Cup quarter final against Germany in Adelaide in April and there's a chance I could be involved in doubles.
After having the Woodies dominating for the past five years, we are still searching for a combination to replace them. It could be that Sandon and myself play or it could be Sandon and Lleyton or Todd and me.
The good thing is that we have a lot of different combinations. We've lost a couple of big five-set matches in doubles over the past year and we're obviously close to settling on a fresh combination.
With the singles holding up well, the next thing we have to establish is a regular doubles team so that we can take advantage of the expected home-ground ties this year.
I am hoping to resume playing in the Citrix Championships at Delray Beach, Florida, in a couple of weeks, but my long-term goal this year is the Olympic Games.
Some players, including Pete Sampras and Martina Hingis have already said they won't be in Sydney in September, but I'd love to be selected. I missed out on being picked in 1996 and that sort of hurt because I really wanted to play.
I still firmly believe there is not a place for tennis in the Olympics because it is the ultimate forum for other sports people such as swimming and track and field, while tennis has its four majors every year. That said, I'd rate representing Australia as a highlight, a gold medal in itself.
Davis Cup does strange things to different players. Some players are over-whelmed by the responsibility of representing their country others revel in it. Having watched Lleyton over the past seven months, I'm amazed at how quickly he's adjusted to the pressures and responsibilities. He's still only 18 but he's already in a league of his own. His performances in the first round against Switzerland proved again what a fantastic competitor he is.