Open-Ended Questions

1. How did you become such a well-known tennis player? 

2. How did you become so successful? 

3. Why did you decide to play tennis? 

4. You suffered a stroke in 1998. Did this stop you from playing tennis? 

5. What message would you want to deliver to the world if you haven't already? 

6. How do you view the tennis competitions we have today? 

7. What awards have you won? 

8. How do you feel about becoming so famous? 

9. What achievement are you most proud of? 

10. What was it like competing in tennis? Did you have any opponents that you frequently faced? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. I first became a fairly well-known tennis player when I was the first person in professional tennis to surpass the one-million mark in career prize money. After that, the achievements followed and I became a worldwide famous tennis player. Another cause that made me famous was the world records that I held because people thought those were stunning and recognized me because of them. 

 

 

2. I became so successful by being determined and have the ability to bounce back when things got out-of-hand. I always aimed high. And even if I lost one or two matches, I would never get angry at myself. I would reflect on what I did wrong and right. So I never got mad and gave up. 

 

 

3. I decided to play tennis because I was considered too small to become a good player. I wanted to prove them wrong so I began vigorous practice as a youth in the Australian outback. Later I came to the attention of the Australian Davis Cup captain, Harry Hopman and was invited to the Australian Davis Cup team by him.  

 

 

4. When I went through that stroke, it was the creepiest thing ever. I threw up on the court mid-sentence and had a black out straight after. I wasn't cautious of what was happening in those moments. Although that was one of the most terrifying things in my life, it didn't stop me from playing tennis because soon after I recovered, I went back to playing tennis, but an exhibition tennis match hosted by Roger Federer, which was for the cause of children's health in South Africa. My stroke didn't stop me from loving the sport. It was in my blood and I was always excited to get on the tennis court. 

 

 

5. A message I would want to deliver to the world is that do what you love and follow your dreams because there is no reason why you should be trying to do something you don't enjoy. Use me for example. I never wanted to become a good player in another sport because it wasn't my dream. 

 

 

6. About the tennis competitions we have today, I am truly satisfied. I love the way they are formatted and I enjoy how the matches are played undercover in the stadium. I really like watching the matches and the competitive atmosphere.  

 

 

7. I've achieved a fair amount of awards. This includes being named ABC Sportsman of the Year, becoming the MBE Queen's Birthday Honours for 'Service to Tennis', being inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, inducted into Sport Australia's Hall of Fame,Bronze sculpture was made of me before being included in the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame, I was awarded the Philippe Chartrier award, I was given Australia's Sport Medal upgraded to Legend of Australian Sport AC (Companion of the Order of Australia), I was granted the Australia Day Honours for my "eminent service to tennis as a player, representative and mentor, at a national and international level, and as a role model for young sportsmen and women". Those are the awards I have received. 

 

 

8. I am extremely honoured to be famous. Not many people get to be famous and the ones that do sometimes take it for granted. I am truly honoured to be famous because it is not something easy to get and it means that I have a chance to put out my messages to the world. 

 

 

9. An achievement in tennis I'm most proud of is winning my second Calendar Year Grand Slam. It was probably one of the most memorable moments in my life because it had meant that I held the world record and I knew I wouldn't get broken in a long time. 

 

 

10. Competing in tennis was something I'd always enjoy. I enjoyed the atmosphere, the spirit and the crowd. I always enjoyed the challenge and the opponents competitive mindset. The opponent would always never give up and would always try to fight back. That's my favourite part of tennis, my opponents try their best and that's all that matters.