I'll wager you'd agree the following list are not household names in Australian sport....Jones, Moore, Hanley, Luczak, Peers, Rodionova, Ebden and Rogowska. How do you put the credentials of such a group into perspective? It's always helpful if you can compare apples with apples, but there isn't always a valid measuring stick, even in a sophisticated sport such as tennis, where the above group reside.

For many excellent Australian tennis players, they mostly spend their entire careers in complete anonymity, even though they may be top 10 in our country, as all of the above group certainly are. On this theme, only one of the above eight is guaranteed to hit the "big time" by gaining entry into the singles at the Australian Open on ranking merit.

Then, all of a sudden and out of the blue, along came an olive branch to the so-called tennis journeymen. The Commonwealth Games Federation admitted tennis into the Games for the first time ever. In the stampede to criticise the Delhi Games, and in fact all things Commonwealth Games, and especially whether tennis belongs there, I'd prefer to look for a positive.

I'm delighted to report that every one of those eight players listed above are now Commonwealth Games medalists and thoroughly deserving of s little limelight. After all, they're in the top 10 players in the nation in their chosen sport, yet haven't been able to shine, with the spotlight firmly on superstars like Lleyton Hewitt and Sam Stosur. They are quality athletes who have given endless hours and total dedication to their pursuit of a professional career, thus far without the rewards of fame or life changing income, as is also true for many athletes of course.

Think of it another way. If they were in the top 10 athletes in basketball, netball, hockey, baseball, softball, hockey and almost every other sport, they would be automatic selections for the Australian team with the stature that goes with it. Just imagine if they were in the top 10 AFL or NRL players in Australia...they'd be doing OK!

So now we can say one thing...each and every one of these tennis players won a medal at the Commonwealth Game. For all Australian athletes, representing our country is a monumental achievement. For most, whichever the sport, winning a medal at the Commonwealth Games is the crowning achievement of their career and the manifestation of a lifetime's commitment.

The lesser known tennis players were given that opportunity and of course we wish them higher success, but I am glad that these players have now seen their abilities put into a comparative context. They have something tangible to show for their efforts, side by side with the other elite athetes who won medals in so many other sports.