From 1953 my family lived in a white town, and from 1966 I lived in a white society, but the former didn't make us white, and the latter never made me anything other than what I am – a proud Aboriginal woman, a Wiradjuri Koori.
Neither winning nor losing means as much to me as knowing the crowd has enjoyed my match. Some players feel that winning is everything and that losing is a disaster. Not me. I want the spectators to take home a good memory…
It's something I've always wanted – to be known as an Australian. When I was younger I was always referred to as an Aboriginal tennis player. Now I think the award means that I have been recognised as an entertainer and that makes me happy… It's given me probably as big a kick as winning Wimbledon.
When you have a dream you have to work hard to achieve that dream. Your dreams when you are young can be the force that keeps you going.
I'm sure many people who discover they are destined to be athletes before they know what kind, go through a period of revelation… when they realise instinctively that this is their game… I think I realised that those first couple of summers in Barellan when the War Memorial Tennis Club became my playground.