Tiger Woods says he is playing better than his "Tiger Slam" run in 2000 and 2001, and he is determined to prove he can still play better.

Tiger Woords looking forward to taking a leadership role at next week's Ryder Cup as he feels his current five-event win streak has produced superior form.

"I've been on a great run the last two months and I hope it continues this week," Woods said of the World Match Play Championship beginning at Wentworth on Thursday. "My hard work is paying off, although there's still plenty of room for improvement."

"I know I'm a better now. I can hit more shots, control my trajectory and am much smarter about how I manage my game," says Tiger Woods.

A lot of his inspiration seems to come from tennis, as Tiger Woods met Roger Federer at US Open and watched the grand finale of the championship. Tiger Woods marvelled at the speed with which Federer and Andy Roddick hit the ball. "I never saw the ball but I know that Roger hit a winner off one of them. You don't know how good these players really are until you're there in person," Woods, a tennis player himself, said in a media interview at this week's HSBC World Matchplay Championship at Wentworth.

"Hopefully, you win the last big one, like a Pete Sampras, and you get out," Woods said, sending an unsettling message of his possible retirement.