It was an incredible moment and feeling.

Winning the doubles with Ash to get Australia into our first Fed Cup final in 26 years, and playing like that in front of a home crowd in Brisbane, was just amazing.

Unfortunately, I haven’t had my best results on home soil over the years.

Traditionally, the public’s attention has been on the Aussie summer of tennis and Wimbledon each year, and the bulk of my success has come at Roland Garros and the US Open, as well as other big tournaments outside of Australia.

I was reading an article the other week that listed a whole bunch of my achievements throughout my career and I thought, ‘Wow, even I need to give myself more credit for what I have been able to do over so many years’.

It kind of took me by surprise, reading it, because I think when you’re living in the moment and you’re still playing, you almost don’t allow yourself to completely appreciate what you’ve been able to do because you’re always striving for more, and you always want more.

I mean, all you want on court each day is to play well, play to the level that you know you’re capable of, and if that ends up being a win in a moment like the one I had with Ash in such a close, high-pressure match, then that’s icing on the cake. 

So you’ve just got to put yourself in those positions as often as possible, and know that if you knuckle down and play well you’re going to have a chance, like we did in Brisbane.

To be able to represent Australia for as many years as I have, not just in Fed Cup but at four Olympic Games, is something I’m very proud of. It’s certainly a special occasion every time I’m able to do that, and I can’t wait to finally be playing in a Fed Cup final, in Perth, this weekend against France.

My role reversal

My Fed Cup debut came back in 2003 in Wollongong against Colombia. I actually remember the match pretty well, believe it or not. I certainly don’t remember all of them!

I lost 6-4 in the third to Fabiola Zuluaga. Being in that situation for the first time, I was obviously a bit nervous as I was going out to play, but knew that I had my teammates behind me, and they wouldn’t have put me in if they didn’t believe that I was capable of potentially winning.

I just remember playing a great match and loving the feeling of being out there, playing Fed Cup with my teammates on the sidelines, the crowd all going bananas.

So 16 years later to be in a final for the first time is incredible. And being part of this team again is amazing.

It’s a role reversal now. I’ve gone from being the youngest player alongside Alicia Molik (who’s now the captain), Nicole Pratt and Rennae Stubbs, to the oldest player, at 35.

We’re really lucky to have Ash as No.1 in the world and our No.1 player, absolutely. But I guess given that I’ve played so many Fed Cup ties and matches, it’s great that all my experience as a player and a leader can help Ash and the rest of the team.

I have always tried to lead by example and do what I can in the team environment. Obviously you’ve got to be prepared to play your own matches, but also to do whatever it takes for your teammates, and I think on the whole something we do very well in our Australian team is that we do back each other.

If anyone needs anything we’re there, and whoever gets picked to play it’s always ‘all right, yep, we’re going to support them, that’s the decision’, and then we go with it. We can take a lot of pride in that.

Ash has really come out of her shell

Ash has obviously had an incredible year. Not just in Fed Cup, but almost any week in general, she’s just been able to come up with the goods.

I don’t think there’s been too many matches where she’s been outplayed or lost by playing poorly. Her level is incredibly high at the moment and she’s riding a lot of confidence. Being No.1 in the world, that’s as good as it gets.

So it’s obviously no big secret that we’re all looking for Ash to do well in her singles matches, and be able to lead us in that way.

In the team environment, and outside it, I would say in the last 12 months or so she’s probably come out of her shell a little bit. Even a few years ago she was a lot more quiet and reserved, and now it’s really nice to see her open up and express herself and be a little more extroverted.

Anyone can see how she’s grown as a person over the last couple of years and, given what she’s been able to achieve on court and what that extra spotlight can do to someone, it would be pretty easy to go the other way.

But that’s all part of the way that she’s handled being in the position she’s in. It’s so good to see.