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Win or lose, the result does not matter for us. It's a time for Thailand to rejoice in Tammy's historic victory over Serbian Jelena Jankovic to become the first Thai player to reach a Grand Slam quarter final. Yes, our girl really rocks.

Tammy's earlier victory should be cherished. The story behind her resilience is an inspiring one for us all. First of all, at 31, Tammy is at an age when many assume that she might have passed her peak. But Tammy has proved that anything is possible if only one challenges one's limits.

Just two years ago, Tammy had slipped to a point where she was relegated to the lower echelons of the sport, with her ranking at around 140. She was forced to play in smaller tournaments, and was admitted to a hospital in Mexico due to food poisoning. For a player who had reached Grand Slam fourth rounds on six occasions, Tammy was thinking about quitting professional tennis.

The game has changed from when she started several years ago. Big-name players now have bigger entourages. But Tammy doesn't even have a coach. Many, even some in Thailand, considered her as only a prop, not a lead actress, in sport.

That was the lowest point of her career. But then Tammy decided she didn't want to quit. After all, she is a professional. She's never acted like a celebrity; she became a tennis player because of her love for the game. Asked why she didn't quit, Tammy told The Nation: "If I gave up my tennis, I don't know what I'd do with myself."

She regained her fitness and her efforts have paid off. In April this year, Tammy won a small tournament in Japan. Last month, unseeded, she came out of nowhere in the qualifying rounds to clinch the second big WTA title of her professional career, in the Netherlands, by beating French Open runner-up and world No. 9 Dinara Safina of Russia.

Over the past week at Wimbledon, Tammy has taken the scalps of several big players. Her rise is not a fluke but the result of sheer determination. Tammy does not have powerful serves. Her 165cm frame makes her one of the smallest players. May we also repeat that she's now one of the oldest players left on the circuit.

Our one small gripe is that the local press does not give Tammy the recognition she deserves for her victory. Her win was reported as just another match. One Thai anchorman shrugged off Tammy's victory by saying that Jankovic was injured. (But Tammy has a back injury too.) Instead of focussing on a Thai victory, news anchormen on Tuesday morning spent time still talking about the Euro 2008 final. They said the Thai happiness index had risen after the European Championship. So what? Hello … we didn't see any Thais playing in Euro, did we?