2nd May, 1999

WOMEN DESERVE EXTRA PAY
But they've got to go five sets

WOMENS tennis is in the best health I can remember. So much so, I've had to change my views about it.

Their game is healthy and they have some tremendous players. They've resurrected themselves and deserve all the credit they're getting for the popularity of the game.

I have no problem in suggesting women deserve equal pay on the circuit where we play best-of-three matches most of the time.

It's not as though you're still seeing a lot of 6-0, 6-0 results in the quarter-finals any more.

But unless women are prepared to play best-of-five matches in Grand Slams, there's no way they can justify their call for equal prizemoney at the Grand Slams.

The Women's Tennis Association has attacked Wimbledon's decision to award women 84 percent of what the men receive. I think Wimbledon's stance is fair. The men play best-of-five the women play best-of-three.

If they want more money, play more sets. I like watching women's match-ups such as Martina Hingis and Serena and Venus Williams against a serve-and-volleyer like Jana Novotna. There's a fair chance you'll get to see a few of those match-ups on the regular circuit but at the majors it's tough to watch somebody win 6-0, 6-0. If it were best-of-five, it could be 6-0, 6-0, 6-0.

LIFE as a professional is a fantastic existence but it can sometimes be tough because of the loneliness.

When I'm not travelling with my girlfriend Lara, my brother Peter comes with me quite a bit. This week I've been on my own in Atlanta.

I'd probably telephone Lara once or twice a day and I'd call my family two or three times a week. The average phone bill is probably $200 a week. I've got a phone card, so its not too bad. Telephones are a necessary evil, but I don't think about the cost. You want to keep in contact, so you just make the calls.

RUGBY league's image has taken a bit of a battering lately, with alcohol-fuelled incidents and fights featuring in the news.

I've been through the experience of coming under media scrutiny before a Davis Cup match when we played the Czech Republic in Adelaide a couple of years ago.

It was the wrong thing to do and I apologised. The bonus was that I was able to draw a positive from it. I learned from it.

Every sportsman - in fact, just about everyone - loves to go out and have a good time. There are plenty of party boys on the tennis tour, but nobody outside the tour would know who they are and what they are up to.

But if they do misbehave, it never involves physical aggression; possibly because tennis is not an aggressive sport.

My motto is that if you are going to go out and have a good time, you have to be aware of your responsibility to the sport.

Moderation is the name of the game.

THINGS aren't going well for me form-wise. I lost in the first round in Atlanta to Martin Rodriguez, a lucky loser from Argentina.

I was stuck on the freeway between the hotel and courts for two hours because of a car accident, but the delay didn't have a bearing on the result. I need to find the right balance out on the court.

At the moment, I'm getting frustrated too easily and I need to relax more. I'll spend the next few days training in Bermuda before heading to Rome for the Italian Open.

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