23rd May, 1999

HOW I'LL BREAK HOODOO

French Open in sight

It's been 30 years since an Australian has won the FrenchOpen, but I'm hoping to smash the hoodoo at Roland Garros over the next fornight. Such a thought would have been a joke a couple of weeks ago, but my results at the Italian Open and my form in Dusseldorf at the World Team Cup have given me a lot of confidence going into the French.

Now that I'm hitting the ball well again, what I really need to cap things off is hot and dry weather in Paris. That's how it was two years ago and I surprised myself - and a lot of thers - by making the semi finals.

I played basically the same sort of tennis in Rome where it was hot and the ball really moved around a lot for me and I was able to play serve-volley tennis on clay. Hopefully, I can do the same thing in Paris. Obviously that's going to be tough.

There've been a lot of very good serve-volleyers, including John McEnroe, and Stefan Edberg, who have reached the French Open final only to fall at the final hurdle. If the weather is hot, then I think my chances improve.

Being seeded third means there's a bit of an advantage for me, but the crucial thing is the draw. I'm drawn to play Swiss player Roger Federer in the first round and hopefully I can get through and work my way into the tournament.

What you don't need - particularly at the French - is a couple of five-setters early on. If you get caught in a couple of long matches then you can really pay the price later on. If you survive.

I'm feeling really positive about my game at the moment, which is a great sign. There's not a whole lot of difference in the way I'm, playing now from early in the season, but my confidence is definitely up.

To beat Andre Agassi, Goran Ivanisevic and Felix Mantilla on clay has done a lot for me. Hopefully, it can continue in Paris.

I think the Aussies are in for a big tournament. We've got Mark Philippoussis, Lleyton Hewitt and Jason Stoltenberg going well. And there's blokes like Richard Fromberg, Andrew Ilie and the Woodies (Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge), who always lift for the Slams.

Frommy had a win over Yevgeny Kafelnikov in Prague recently and everybody knows how tough he can be on clay.

The women's side is looking positive too. Jelena Dokic has got a wild card into the main draw, which is fantastic and Alicia Molik and Nicole Pratt are also straight in. There's a good feeling about the whole tournament.

Let's hope one of us can break the drought. I'd love to be the one to do it.

DON'T WRITE OFF PISTOL

It was great notching up a win over Pete Sampras before tomorrow's French Open.

My 6-3, 7-5 victory in the World Team Cup yesterday probably hasn't done much to stop the talk that Pete might be past his best. The doubts have arisen because of Pete's injuries and inconsistent form.

It's true, Sampras hasn't had a good start to the year, but he's still a great player. There's no doubt he's definitely in a slump. But as the winner of 11 Grand Slam titles, Pete is not somebody you can afford to muck around with.

I've been fortunate enough to have beaten him the past three matches, but there are plenty of other guys I'd rather play. You still have to be very careful around him and you just know that he's going to come back at some stage.

He's been troubled with a back problem this year and he lost early again in Rome. But before Sampras is counted out, people should remember what a great champion he is. And who knows what goals Pete has set himself this year?

Holding the world No. 1 ranking for an eighth consecutive year, winning another major to equal Roy Emerson's record and possibly a sixth Wimbledon title are likely to figure high in his thinking.

I wouldn't be writing him off just yet.

I have only a passing knowledge of Australian Football, but I do know enough to know that Tony Lockett is on the brink of breaking a phenomenal record.

I've never met Tony, but he's obviously a great player with enormous stamina and skill. I've kicked the ball around with the South Australian, Victorian and West Australian boys on the tennis tour and I understand just how hard the game is.

For a bloke to have kicked almost 1300 goals is freakish. He deserves all the praise he gets.

THE ITALIAN OPEN

It would have been nice to have taken the No. 1 ranking last week by winning the Italian Open, but Gustavo Kuerten was just too good on the day.

"Guga" has now won Monte Carolo and Rome, two of the biggest events outside the Slams, and I think he is the best player in the world on clay.

I nearly made my way back into the match against him in Rome, but I really needed to win the second set. I tried not to think too much about the No. 1 ranking during the tournament, but it was hard to ignore it by the time I had made the final.

I would loved to have played Alex Corretja instead of "Guga", because Alex had joked to me the would have let me win. I'll never know how generous he was prepared to be.

 BACK