Kim, what have you been doing in Adelaide to come out so well?
(Clijsters) Oh, just training - same as I did last year - nothing special. I've been, you know, working hard and sort of been doing a lot of gym work when Lleyton was at the golf and started playing after that. (I've) been hitting the ball pretty clean from the moment that I started, so that's always nice.

You mentioned sprinting before; is that something you've done extra work on?
(Clijsters) A little bit. Especially, like, you know the small foot-work; I think as well that you need on the court. I think I've been doing a lot of that also as warm up, just before practices....yeah, so.

Couldn't have started the year much better than that, could you?
(Clijsters) Oh, no. I think he was a bit pissed at me that I made him rush for his match.

Kim, last year you were number one and now number two...isn't it a bit gap between number two and number 19?
(Clijsters) Umm, well today I played really well and I don't think she was, you know, when she plays her best tennis she's really tough to beat because then she hits the ball so clean and she serves so well. I think today, you know, a few players will struggle here for the first match of the year and I think she definitely had a few difficulties in the beginning. But I was hitting the ball really deep as well so I didn't really give her a chance to get any rhythm out there.

Have you set any goals for this year - number one, grand slams?
(Clijsters) No, not really - just to try to get the wedding organised, I guess.

When is that wedding?
(Clijsters) No plans yet - that's what we have to think about. So we have a lot of things come to it, but we just want to focus a little bit on the tennis first of all.

Possibility of this year, or maybe this year?
(Clijsters) Oh, we don't know. We don't know.

Kim, how difficult has it been to concentrate on the tennis when you've had so much interest in yourself and Lleyton?
(Clijsters) Well, you know tennis is a very important thing in my life as well and I think that's where it's good to have both things because I can focus on both things pretty good. So yeah, I think it combines really well.

What sort of aspects of your game were you happiest with today?
(Clijsters) Mostly everything, I think. I think I was returning really well. Didn't miss a lot of easy returns and yeah, I think overall my movement was really good. And I think just a few serve games where she broke me, I just didn't put enough first serves in and I just was a little bit low on my serve, but I think for the rest everything was fine.

Xavier, what happened in the second set?
(Malisse) Nothing. I think I got a little pissed because my backhand didn't go really good and I tried to hit it harder and I think, you know, as soon as you try to hit it harder it's going to go wrong. No, but I picked it back up in the third. I felt pretty good about my strokes for the first match but it's going to be a little bit rusty in the beginning, but it was pretty good overall.

It was good tennis for your first match of the season.
(Malisse) Yeah, I feel really happy because I hadn't played for three months. But it's going to be some ups and downs in the beginning, but I felt everything was good - just I have to work a little bit more on the backhand and then I think if that gets in place then I'll feel pretty good.

Kim, where do you rank the Australian open in terms of grand slams and your chances of winning?
(Clijsters) Well, I think if you look at my results, I've always had really good results on hardcourts. And even winning Sydney last year and then playing some good tennis at the Australian Open last year as well. So I enjoy playing there and I think the places where I enjoy myself I have really good results as well. I think the Australian Open, because it's the first one as well, I think it's really important for me.

Kim, turning the clock back a month or so, were you surprised that you came under so much fire for honouring a contract?
(Clijsters) Well, I was in Australia so I don't think...you know it didn't come this far to Australia. So I think I was pretty happy for being here so I didn't catch up with a lot of things that happened down there, so that was good.

There's a lot of talk about if you should represent Belgium, but do you see the Olympics more really as an individual thing - not like Fed Cup or Davis Cup?
(Clijsters) I think it's great that tennis is an Olympic sport now, but to me tennis doesn't feel like an Olympic sport. Seeing tennis in Sydney four years ago, I don't think they got the publicity and the crowds that they get in grand slams and everything - so that was a little bit disappointing I think there as well.

Xavier, in the second set you seemed a bit unhappy with a line call...
(Clijsters) The foot faults!

...the foot faults, what was the situation there?
(Malisse) No, there were some in my advantage and disadvantage but there was always on the same line with the same person so I just made it clear to the referee that it's always complaints from the same person. I mean it's the first match too, of course you're going to get into it. But, I've got to let it go. If it's a foot fault there's nothing I can do. But there were some bad calls, but you know, that's how it goes.

Was that a distraction from you - did your mind wander a bit there during the second set?
(Malisse) Yeah, I think a little bit because at one-one and up 30-15 there's a bad call - there's a big difference between 30 all or 40-15. If I go 40-15 and then I'm a good chance to go 2-1 up in the second, you have a better chance of getting there and getting confidence. Instead it goes the other way and you get a little anxious and a little mad and then it goes the wrong way.

Is that something you're working on with your coach - when you are on top to keep dominating and not to have a flat patch during the second?
(Malisse) Yeah, definitely. I think last year was a good example. I started getting it under control and I started really enjoying tennis. It's the first match so I'm going to be a little bit rusty even in tennis and mental part. But that's why we've got all these matches to get confident and to get everything under control.

Kim, do you think there will be more pressure or less pressure on your private life with Lleyton now that he's proposed to you?
(Clijsters) I have no idea. I don't think there's any pressure in our relationship at all. It just depends on the way you look at. You know, of course there's a lot of things...we're in the highlight a lot of the time because we play tennis. But I don't think, it doesn't influence us at all so I don't think it will change anything.

Any tips for Xavier how to beat Lleyton?
(Clijsters) Umm, I don't know. I don't know, well, I think a lot of players have difficulties beating Lleyton so it's going to be a tough one. For me as well against Alicia, you know, she has a great serve. It will be interesting. You know, it's very hard. People have been asking me, you know, how do you look forward to Wednesday and everything and what do you think is going to happen. You know, it's a new experience and I've never been in that situation so far to comment on that.

Kim, having peaked at number one, is that on your mind - do you really want to get back there?
(Clijsters) Well, I think it sort of starts at different areas where you have to look at first. You have make sure that you're fit enough, that you're strong enough, to give yourself another good chance of playing a long season and playing the tournaments that you want to play and stay fit throughout all those tournaments. And if you can do that, of course you're going to have a better chance of reaching the higher rankings again. So that's definitely something that I wanted to focus on first - make sure that...I'm going to play a lot less doubles this year as well and that's what I feel the grand slams make really tired at the end of the year - at the end of the weeks. There's a few things that you learn and you know, this whole last year was definitely a very, very learning experience for me.

Is there extra motivation for you this year considering the disappointment of being so close to beating Serena?
(Clijsters) No, you know, everything always gives you more motivation when you lose those kinds of matches - not only for the Australian Open but even for the next match you play after you have one of those matches. You always want to get better and you always want to improve, because if you don't then I don't think you should be out there. It doesn't matter if you're number one or number 10 or 50 - you always have to try to get better and get stronger.