ITF

121 S ydney was the first time the nation had got behind an Olympic and Paralympic event. London has done it since, but Sydney was the first to do that. We understood it was our home games and it was a celebration for a nation. It was a really interesting time. I lost the No. 1 spot the week before the Paralympics, and I had been toppled because I was burnt out. I didn't really quite know what to do other than try to bluff my way through. I was expected to win the gold medal in singles. When I hit a quarterfinal against a top eight opponent, that was when I knew I was in a lot of trouble and tried to bluff my way through. I lost that match and as devastating as that was, it was also quite a relief. The night that I lost that match I needed a bit of space. It was all pretty intense. So I went to a mate's place and ended up falling down a flight of stairs and hitting my head so hard that I detached my retina, which I didn't know at the time, and couldn't speak properly, couldn't form sentences. The next morning I went and had an MRI to see if I had done any real damage. I played a semifinal of the doubles that day, which was difficult as I couldn't really speak, and when I had fallen I had also ripped my body a bit grabbing onto a railing. So, we played this doubles match against Germany and we got through because Branka Pupovac is a bit of a legend, and I was able to be clear with her about what had happened. We were a great team. By the time the final came around I was in a bit of strife, but it was an amazing feeling. It was just a relief that it was all over. I knew I had done some damage to my head, and six months later it really showed itself and I had surgery on my retina. It was a really wonderful experience to share that with Branka. We had worked so hard and achieved so much in the two years leading up to it that a silver medal for us was incredible, coming up against the No.1 team in the world [Maaike Smit and Esther Vergeer]. For me the experience of Sydney was being carried by an incredible wave of euphoria from people I didn't know giving me incredible love, support, and encouragement. And that was what got me through. Athens was a whole other experience. I knew that 2004 was going to be my last year on tour. I was still No. 2 in the world and I really wasn't enjoying my tennis. I was pretty burnt out. I had put a lot of expectation on myself that I had to make this one count and I got to the semifinal, but sometimes if you want something so badly, you can want it too much and everything disintegrates. It was a really tight match, and I lost it because I was too tight. The really devastating thing about that was that you have to front up the next day and play for the bronze medal. Winning that match was an incredible relief and a whole other level of euphoria. I actually felt really privileged, which is interesting because you go in wanting gold and come away with bronze, but I was okay with that. SYDNEY 2000 WOMEN'S WHEELCHAIR DOUBLES SILVER ATHENS 2004 WOMEN'S WHEELCHAIR SINGLES BRONZE I was expected to win the gold medal in singles. Daniela Di Toro Daniela Di Toro

• Cover