On her way to repeating as Australian Open singles champion, Jennifer Capriati had to withstand stifling 95-degree heat. She had to come back from a set down and fight off four match points.

	“	She is an inspiration to me. I will go home and really re-think what I'm going to do and how I'm going to fight to stay alive. I've got to use her strength to live because I'm going through a real struggle myself. I've got cancer. ”
		— Darren Bartholomuesz, friend of Jennifer Capriati

A gutsy performance? For sure. But nothing, she said, when compared to what Darren Bartholomuesz is going through.

Bartholomuesz is a 26-year-old Melbourne man who is dying of cancer. After her three-set victory over Martina Hingis, Capriati dedicated her title to Bartholomuesz, who has been given only months to live.

"I was struggling on the court today but it's no comparison to a lot of the friends who I have who are struggling right now, and especially one in particular right now, I'd like to say, Darren, thanks for coming and I love you," she said.

Capriati met Bartholomuesz three years ago when she visited a cancer support organization in Melbourne.

Darren has supported Capriati all week, attending all of her matches, and when it looked unlikely he would be able to attend the final, he made the defending champion a video.

The simple message to Capriati was that she was a legend or, as he put it, "a ledge."

The pair became friends when Darren was offered tickets by Capriati's mother Denise to attend the Australian Open in 2000.

Capriati's mother, Denise, paid tribute to Darren's fighting spirit and said it had helped her daughter to the 4-6, 7-6, 6-2 triumph.

"He comes to every match with morphine," she told Melbourne newspaper the Herald Sun. "He's in so much pain except for when he is watching Jennifer.

"It gives him a lot of strength and, on the other hand, he gives us strength and courage, and puts all this in perspective. He is fighting for his life, she is fighting for a tennis match. I don't know whether you can compare the two.

"He made a video in the hospital for Jennifer to see before she went on court. He said: 'I love you Jen, you are the best.' He was blowing her kisses.

"Today she just talked to him. He's got oxygen. She said to him: 'Save some for me, I may need it.'

After Capriati's victory, Darren said the player's win would encourage him to keep fighting.

"She is an inspiration to me. I will go home and really re-think what I'm going to do and how I'm going to fight to stay alive," he said. "I've got to use her strength to live because I'm going through a real struggle myself. I've got cancer.

"It was hard for me to come out today, but I wanted to do it. I had to see Jen. I had to see her win."