Q&A with Sania Mirza & Mahesh Bhupathi

Sania Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi defeated Aleksandra Wozniak and Daniel Nestor in the mixed doubles quarterfinal match today with the results 3-6, 6-4, 10-5.

They will next face the Czech pair of Iveta Benesova and Lukas Dlouhy.

Here their interview via AO website.

Q. How long have you been playing doubles together?
(There’s some back and forth banter about how many tournament they’ve played. Is it three, four or five? Finally it’s decided: Australian, Wimbledon, French and US Open.)
Sania Mirza (SM): Two years, this is the second year.

Q. How did you pair up as a doubles team?
SM: Well, he manages me, he has a company he manages me, we’re great friends, we know each other, we’re Indian. I guess there are enough similarities.

Q. Are you happy with how you’re doing in the doubles?
Mahesh Bhupathi (MB): Yes, we’re pleased, we’re still alive! We’ll just take it one at a time and see how it goes.

Q. What’s your strategy going into your next mixed doubles match?
MB: Win (both laugh)

Q. How are you handling the heat on court?
SM: It’s hot! It helps that we’re Indian, I guess. We’re used to it, but it was very hot today.

Q. Do you hang out when you’re not playing doubles?
MB: Sometimes; obviously we’ve known each other a long time. I mean, we did our pre-season training season together in December with a group of players in India in Bangalore this year. We train together in the off-season for the last two years.

Q. What do you like to do when you’re not playing tennis?
SM: I like to catch a movie, very normal stuff, go out for a quiet dinner.
MB: I’ve got enough to do, so I spend a lot of time on my computer. That’s about it. Go out for dinner or movies. I’ve got a coach and a trainer travelling with me so it’s a big entourage.

Q. If you weren’t tennis players, what would you be?
SM: I’ve been playing since I was six. Honestly, I don’t know. I was interested in interior decoration.
MB: I’ve been playing since I was three, so I haven’t even thought about it.

Q. Your compatriot, Yuki Bhambri is playing in the junior boys’ tournament here. Do you have any advice for him?
MB: He’s the biggest talent we have in India right now, so it’s very exciting for us. We’re hoping he can make the transition from the juniors to the main game very soon.

Q. Have you had a chance to see much of Melbourne?
MB: I’ve been here so many times. We have a set number of restaurants that we try and visit every time we’re here.

Q. You both travel a lot. What’s the one thing you can’t leave home without?
SM: My phone, [same for] him too (referring to Bhupathi)
MB: My laptop.

Q. What’s the favourite city you’ve visited?
SM: This is one of my favourite cities, actually. And New York.
MB: Australia’s definitely one of my favourite destinations.

(Interview and image via AO website)

Elena vs Serena: Will it be Jane of the outback or the comeback queen?

As predicted, Serena Williams will play against Elena Dementieva in one of the women's semifinals tomorrow.

Both players have a fair chance to win; Serena has more experience than anybody to win in Grand Slam tournaments while Elena has been very consistent and had won two warm up tournaments in Auckland and Sydney.

Here are their thoughts on each other.

Elena on Serena:
ELENA DEMENTIEVA: Every time it's different, especially against Serena. You don't know what to expect from her. All the matches that we play, all the last three matches, was completely different games.

I think she likes to play here (in AO). She won this title (here before). She feels pretty comfortable playing, you know, in this surface. I think it's going to be tough match. It's always good to have, you know, a positive results. But it's all new.

Serena on Elena:
SERENA WILLIAMS: I think she's playing amazing. I think she's actually playing some of the best tennis on the tour. She's really stepped up the level of her game to an unbelievable level. I'm going to have to play really well to do well tomorrow.

The other semifinal match is between Vera Zvonareva and Dinara Safina.

By the way here are some off court photos of Elena who visited the Melbourne Zoo yesterday. That's a nice dress for an outing to the zoo.


(Images by Robert Prezioso/Getty Images via zimbio)

Svetlana Kuznetsova blamed the roof over loss

It's strange because Svetlana Kuznetsova didn't mind the heat.

Instead she was angry that her opponent, Serena Williams bounced back from one set down to win 5-7, 7-5, 6-1 after the roof on the Rod Laver Arena court was closed.

“It’s gave her more chances, I guess,” she said.

“Definitely it was a big change. I was very comfortable playing outside."

“I guess it’s two different games. One you play inside; one you play outside."

“Definitely angry… why should I not be?"

“Game going my way. Why today they had to close it? I didn’t get it. That was why I was angry."

“I didn’t get the rule at all. Closing the roof middle of the match, I don’t get it.”

According to Reuters, Melbourne is braced for its hottest week in 100 years as meteorologists predict five consecutive days above 40 degrees for the first time since 1908.

The tournament referee can halt matches if the “heat stress index” reaches a predetermined level. The index is a complex, combined measurement of temperature, heat radiation, wind, and humidity.

According to The Times of London, Australia is just too hot to host major sporting events like the Australian Open.

Pointing to defending champion Novak Djokovic's retirement from the Australian Open on Tuesday, The Times said "Australia is no place to host big international sporting tournaments".

"Sooner or later you have to face up to the only sensible conclusion: Australia is no place to host big international sporting tournaments; except maybe the world kangaroo long-jump."

The newspaper went on to blame recent Australian sporting failures on the heat.

"Their cricketers have lost their bite, their rugby players no longer rule the world. They had a poor Olympics. Even Australians, it seems, don't like it hot ."

(Via Reuters, news.com.au, Images via Yahoo! Sports)

Gilles Simon knows how to play Rafael Nadal

I'm quite anxious about the quarterfinal match between Rafael Nadal and Gilles Simon tomorrow. As I'll be heading back to KL tomorrow I could be missing this match.

It's interesting to read Gilles' interview especially on how confident he is on taking Nadal. Here's an excerpt of that interview.

Q. Do you have some specific tactics in your mind if it's Nadal?

GILLES SIMON: Yes. I have to run five hours to win. I have no choice (laughter).

Usually I think that it's easier to play against them because you really know what you have to do. You just have to do a perfect match to win. If it's not perfect, you lose.

It's easier when you get into the court. It's easier to stay focused on the match because you know that every point is important.

Well, just have to be perfect to win. So I prefer to play in that way.

Q. How different will you feel facing Nadal again perhaps in this tournament compared to last year when you faced him here? You've changed a lot as a player. How different is your approach now mentally maybe?

GILLES SIMON: Yeah, the approach is different because I just did it once, so it's easier for me. When you get into the court, you just want to win always. Last year when I played against him, that was not this already.

I wanted to play a good match, but when I had a chance to finish the first set finally, yeah, I didn't play to win the match. I was just enjoying to be on the court, playing beautiful points, but that was it.

This time it's gonna be different because I just want to win. I don't care about my level.

Earlier today, Gilles took a break to do AO promo photo shooting at the southern star wheel.


(Images by Fiona Hamilton/AFP/Getty Images)