Matthew Ridge

I didn't spend – you know, I spent a lot of time with him, but not really.

And then my grandmother was – she got me into tennis and into sport and armed me with, you know, like – it was almost like she knew where I was going in my life and that, you know, that I would attract a lot of attention or whatever, you know.

And so she'd arm me with, you know, certain sayings, you know, like –

you know, like water off a duck's back and never worry about they, and, you know, like they's a collection of he, she's a some butts and always laugh loudest at yourself, you know, like, which is a real good one.

Like that's the best one because you know how people always coming at you and stuff, especially someone like me or you guys, or they see you and they have a little laugh or they try and take the mickey out of you or, and especially going to Australia, I'll digress.

But when you go to Australia, if they're not taking the piss out of you, they don't like you.

Right.

But if you bite, like if they're taking the person you bite and they see they've got you, well, mate, they'd only go for half an hour, right?

So eventually you're almost in tears, you know, like it's just awful.

And they literally go and go and go until they break you, right?

So Aussies are a different kind of fish when we get it.

But, yeah, my mother was –

You know, definitely on the scene a lot, and I spent a lot of time with my mum, but, you know, more so with the, you know, hanging out in the gay community, really, because a lot of my mum's friends were gay, you know, like, you know, a lot of women, a lot of guys, but mainly women that we'd be hanging out with and going to gay parties and stuff.

So I didn't get a lot of direction there, I don't think.

My uncle was a good soccer player.

He was around a bit.

But, yeah, I don't know really where I got that mental toughness from.

I think I just built up the resilience.

You know, I think being the colour I was too back then, and I was pretty dark.

And back in those days, people, whether they like it or not, this is just how it was like.