That’s it, has it been a good week?
(Kim) It has been fun. We ended second again. We did last year as well last year we lost to America again too.

At the same point?
(Kim) Yes.

Kim, can you tell us a bit about your singles? You struggled a little bit on your serve and struggled to find your range.
(Kim) Definitely. I think it was a very up and down match, definitely on my side. I think she played pretty consistent, but I think on my side it was 3-0 down, I didn’t have any rhythm at all. Then I got back into the match and had some chances, I think. But I definitely missed a lot of those shorter balls. I worked really hard to get into the advantage situation of the point and then I missed some easy forehands where I should have been able to finish off the point. Especially the game too, that I lost where I got broken. If I would have held there I would have been 5-4 up and it would have been a completely different story. That’s what makes tennis so interesting.

Are you still happy with your progress?
(Kim) Definitely. I definitely played a lot better this year than last year, I think. I played really good against Ruano Pascual, and Tulyaganova was a bit tougher because I didn’t play a match for a few days and there was a long break between my matches. I’m happy with the way I’m feeling and the way I’m moving. That’s another positive thing to take out of this week.

It was pretty much what we expect from you two a hard-hitting game from the back of the court. Is that what you expect too?
(Kim) Yeah, I think that’s one of my stronger points in my tennis career so far. Of course, it’s always nice if you can come in a little bit more, and maybe that’s something that I still need to work on, I think. That’s why I’m going to start playing doubles a little bit more and that will help my singles game as well. Learn to serve and volley a little bit more in women’s doubles - that will definitely help.

Kim, are you actually considering taking up residence in Australia?
(Kim) I’m never going to say never because the taxes in Belgium are just ridiculous at the moment I’m paying, I think, over sixty per cent. Belgium is my home country and although I really feel comfortable being here in Australia and I love the country, it’s still my home and I still enjoy being in Belgium and enjoy seeing my family and all the fans. For the moment, that’s definitely not the case.

Xavier, your start of the year is good from what we’ve seen here. How do you see your form?
(Xavier) I’m pretty happy. Every match my level went up. Today I played a good match and I’m just looking forward to this year. It will be a tough year, but I think if I can do the same thing as last year and work on a couple of points, then it might be a better year than last year. But, I’ve got to play every match and see how I go.

What would make it better?
(Xavier) You know, work on some things going to the net more, doing different stuff. Work on my serve and stay healthy. If I can do that then it will be a good year.

Kim, every time you play Venus or Serena, more than the other players do you feel there’s something to be learned?
(Kim) Oh definitely. You learn out of every match, but not only the matches against Venus and Serena all the other matches as well. Definitely in the beginning of the Slams when you play the lower ranked players, you learn things that you can take into your next matches. You really need those earlier matches to get through those big matches sometimes.

But to have a bank of options, particularly against the Williams’as you get to the end of the tournaments, you’ve seen how they play. In these situations, do you begin to work out what they do?
(Kim) Oh, definitely you learn out of these types of situations. This tournament here, you can always take things into your next matches. Next time I play her I know I have to serve a lot better than what I did today. I have to put a higher service percentage in. That’s what my coach and I will be talking about and we’ll be referring to this match today.

Do you actively look forward to seeing either Venus or Serena in a part of your draw.
(Kim) Oh yeah, I mean it doesn’t bother me. I think it’s a challenge to play against them. I always enjoy playing against them. I can get the best out of myself. When you are younger, these are definitely the matches you dream of - to play against those top players - and especially the number one in the world. But, it’s not only Venus and Serena, it’s playing against Jennifer (Capriati) and Monica (Seles) and all those girls as well. Those are really the matches you look forward to playing.