AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 28, 2022

Kristina Mladenovic

Ivan Dodig

Press Conference

DODIG-MLADENOVIC/Kubler-Fourlis

6-3, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations, mixed doubles champions. How does it feel to hold that trophy?

IVAN DODIG: You want to go?

KRISTINA MLADENOVIC: Go, please.

IVAN DODIG: Yeah, it's a great for me and Kristina to have one more Grand Slam. It's always great experience. Really happy that we share this moment. Like she said on the court, trying to play for so long together, but she's playing singles and doubles and mixed. Just now was a good timing.

I'm really happy we did well. It's first time we playing together. To have a trophy, it's great. We came here for this, to be honest. We know how good we can play. That was our goal.

Of course, was all difficult matches. We had really good fight through all these two weeks with a lot of good opponents. But, yeah, it's always great. For me here in Australia always special. Last year I won doubles, now mixed. Played one more time final in the mixed, so I feel great here. Was really good fun to play with Kristina. Yeah, I would like to thank her. Hopefully we'll have some more chance to play.

KRISTINA MLADENOVIC: It feels amazing to hold the trophy again. While Ivan was talking, I was reading my name. Is always so prestigious to win titles like Grand Slams. As a kid that's what you dreaming of. Like Ivan said, that's also what we're working for these days.

It was very special for me. I didn't play mixed for a long time. To partner with Ivan, he's really a dear friend, someone I really look up to and respect. He's was an amazing singles player, from my opinion. Now he's showing his skills all around the court on doubles. I'm just very grateful for this partnership for this tournament.

For me, if I'm not wrong, it was my sixth final in Melbourne, so I kind of love to have that feeling to reach the end of the tournament. It's an event where I particularly like, where I had success. You come on the last day and you have always this adrenaline and pressure. Finals is to win. You don't want to end up losing just on the very last step.

It's for sure very special to hold this trophy again.

THE MODERATOR: What makes this partnership so strong?

KRISTINA MLADENOVIC: Well, like I said, Ivan is an amazing player all around the court, not just doubles skills, but singles. He had an amazing career, too. He has so much experience. I think he's a player very accomplished with that all around the court, his strokes.

His experience for sure helps. I'm a little bit younger and I have also this much experience. Like I said, I played couple of finals. But I also think we match perfectly because I prefer to play on the deuce end, he's on the ad side. Tennis-wise it's just great. We complement each other really well.

What's the most important as well is off the court we really have the values and spirit. We have great energy with all our team. I think it makes a big difference at the end of the day.

Yeah, I think we have that same mentality, so it's nice to be on court together.

THE MODERATOR: Do you have anything to add to that?

IVAN DODIG: Difficult to add. She said everything what I was thinking.

Like Kristina said, for us, we are very good friends. We know each other. Watching, trying to help each other, support in difficult times, that's most important.

Like all our team, it's great team. I knew once we start to play we'll do well because we both play good doubles, both play good singles. Kristina is still playing amazing singles. She's playing singles, doubles, all the way.

It's just good feeling. It's good feeling. I had it also with other partners. But to play first time, it's always difficult to win tournament. You can do it only if you have a really good partner, if it's something in the match, especially in the mixed, is really good.

I had that experience couple different partners, winning with different partners. I know somehow it's difficult. Like Kristina said, she's playing very good from deuce, very good forehand. A little bit easier for me to adapt to her game and everything. I think we are just great match together.