Nadal asks for court, sked change

RelatedNadal bests Federer in thriller THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MELBOURNE, Australia -- A day after winning his first Grand Slam on hard courts, Rafael Nadal called on tennis officials to be mindful of the physical toll the hard surface takes on players in an ever expanding schedule.

"This calendar I am playing with this surface -- hard court surface -- is tougher than grass or clay for the body, and all the time we are playing more on this surface," said Nadal, who beat Roger Federer 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-2 for his first Australian title Sunday.

"In my humble opinion, we have to change that a bit more," the Spaniard said. "I can say that because I won a grand slam on hard (courts)."

Nadal, 22, has previously won four Grand Slams on the French Open clay courts, as well as Wimbledon on grass courts last year.

"Before if I say that, a lot of people think 'He wants to change because he's a clay player'. But believe me, I don't think anything about if I am a clay court player or not.

"When I say this, I think about the best for the players and for the future. It's not possible to have a lot of injuries on tour like this. So we have to try to change something."

The Australian Open marked the first time Nadal reached the final of a major on hard courts, having been knocked out in the semifinals of the Australian and U.S. Opens last year.

Even this time, he had to struggle to make the last weekend at Melbourne. He held off a fellow Spanish left-hander Fernando Verdasco in the semifinals on Friday in five hours 14 minutes -- the longest match in the tournament's history.

"To play with this aggression and with this rhythm all the time from the 1st of January to 31st of December is impossible," he said.

Nadal said he was worried the rigours of the current ATP Tour schedule could hinder his quality of life after his tennis.

"I love football -- I can't play football right now because I am playing (tennis) -- but I would love to play football with my friends later when I finish," said Nadal, whose uncle Miguel Angel Nadal played for Barcelona and represented Spain.

"I would love to continue playing tennis and to do what I want," he added. "But if we continue to play this (many tournaments), later maybe it's going to be tough to practise sports."

.Nadal, who now needs a U.S. Open win to complete a rare career Grand Slam of all four major titles, on Monday blamed exhaustion for his semifinals loss to Andy Murray at Flushing Meadows last year.

"Last year was tough at the U.S. Open," he said. "I arrived playing well, winning Olympics, winning Toronto, having semifinals in Cincinnati. So I was playing a high level of tennis.

"But I felt during the tournament it was going to be almost impossible to win the title because I feel too tired. Mentally and physically, I wasn't there. The semifinals especially, against Murray, I really can't move."

.He said his next goal is Davis Cup.

"My objective is the Davis Cup, which I wasn't able to play last year. To win it is my dream this year," Nadal told Spanish reporters from Melbourne on Monday, a day after his 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-2 victory.

.A knee injury sidelined Nadal for Spain's 3-1 victory over Argentina in November's Davis Cup final. It was Spain's third Davis Cup title in eight years.

Nadal, who was a member of Spain's 2004 winning team, hasn't yet committed to playing in Spain's first-round match against Serbia from March 6-8 at Benidorm.

"It's a dream more than an objective," Nadal said of winning the Cup title. "There is no margin for slowing down now."

Mirza, Bhupathi win mixed doubles

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MELBOURNE, Australia -- India's Sania Mirza won her first Grand Slam title Sunday while her partner added to his double-digit total.

Mirza and Mahesh Bhupathi won the Australian Open mixed doubles title for Bhupathi's 11th Grand Slam doubles championship, seven of which have been mixed.

The Indian pair beat Nathalie Dechy of France and Andy Ram of Israel 6-3, 6-1 at Rod Laver Arena. Bhupathi and Mark Knowles of the Bahamas lost the men's doubles final Saturday to American twins Bob and Mike Bryan.

"My coach, trainer and obviously Sania were trying to keep me as positive as possible," Bhupathi said.

"But going home without a title after making two finals just crossed my mind a few too many times today in the match. It didn't happen, so I'm happy at that."

Mirza, who wasn't bothered by a recent wrist problem during the tournament, also felt pretty good.

"It's always a dream to win a Grand Slam, that's what we all play for I think when we're younger," she said. "It makes it more special because it's with someone that I've known for so long and so well."

The 34-year-old Bhupathi won a previous mixed title at the Australian Open in 2006 with Martina Hingis.

Bhupathi and 22-year-old Mirza broke Dechy's serve in the opening set, then broke their opponents twice in the second. Bhupathi was dominant at the net throughout the match.

They were the first Indian pair to win a Grand Slam mixed doubles title, and, combined with Yuki Bhambri's junior boys' singles win, made it a good tournament for India.

Mirza thought it could have a positive impact in India.

"Let's hope a lot," she said. "I don't remember the last time when we had so many -- I mean, he (Bhupathi) played the finals, we won today, Yuki won. It's been a great two weeks.

"Let's hope a lot more people play, and tennis grows. It's been growing. (This) might take it to another level."

Bhupathi agreed.

"I know for a fact the country's excited now," he said. "It's her first Slam. She's been in the news for the last four years. I think a lot of good players in the past have won a Slam in either doubles or mixed and then gone on to do better things. Even Venus and Serena (Williams), they won their first slams in mixed and were confident to move up in singles."

Knowing India's love of sports, and particularly of sports that India does well in -- cricket in particular -- Bhupathi was asked if a rich mixed doubles exhibition tournament could be organized soon in his country.

"Yeah, we might consider an exhibition," Bhupathi said. "Maybe once the economy turns around across the world, we'll look at it. Obviously I think millions and millions of people watched this match today. Any time Sania plays at home, there's a lot of people watching."

Both players are heading home to India from Melbourne. Bhupathi said he wasn't sure of the reception on their arrival."

"Well, hopefully not too big," Bhupathi said. "I'm not a big fan of receptions. I'd like to sneak out the back door at the airport tomorrow."

Nadal: King of the Aussie court

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Rafael Nadal held off Roger Federer in another five-set Grand Slam final, keeping Pete Sampras' record of 14 major titles intact for now.

Nadal became the first Spanish man to win the Australian Open when he beat Federer 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-2 in a momentum-swinging, 4-hour, 22-minute final on Sunday night.

Federer, trying to equal Sampras' record, sobbed at the trophy presentation.

"Maybe I'll try later. God, it's killing me," Federer said, crying. He returned to congratulate Nadal within minutes, saying: "You deserved it. You played a fantastic final."

Top-ranked Nadal, who has won five of the seven Grand Slam finals they've contested, now has a major on hard courts to go with his titles on clay and grass.

He's the only man capable of a Grand Slam this season, 40 years after Australian great Rod Laver last won all four majors in one season.

"Roger, sorry for today. I really know how you feel right now," Nadal said. "Remember, you're a great champion, you're one of the best in history. You're going to improve on the 14 of Sampras."

Nadal collected the trophy from Laver on Sunday night, in the court that was named in the great Australian's honor, and put his arm around Federer.

"To receive this trophy from Rod Laver is a dream for me," he said. "Rod, thanks very much. It was an amazing two weeks for me."

Nadal advanced to the final after holding off fellow Spanish left-hander Fernando Verdasco on Friday in five hours, 14 minutes -- the longest match in the tournament's history.

Federer had a straight-sets win over Andy Roddick the previous night, but said the difference in preparation had no influence on the final.

He said the fact he'd missed the Sampras record at a tournament he's won three times didn't make the loss any worse or easier to take.

"Honestly, no," he said. "I mean, it's more like, in the first moment you're disappointed, you're shocked, you're sad, you know, then all of a sudden it overwhelms you.

"The problem is you can't go in the locker room and just take it easy and take a cold shower. You're stuck out there. It's the worst feeling. ... it's rough."

Federer, so dominant when he won three of the four majors in 2006 and 2007, has now lost finals on three different surfaces to Nadal.

He hasn't given up hope of beating the 22-year-old Spaniard.

"For sure," he said. "I didn't spend 4 1/2 hours out there (not) believing it."

Nadal, who has four consecutive titles on clay at Roland Garros and beat Federer on grass in a five-set epic at Wimbledon last year.

He is 13-6 overall against Federer and ended the Swiss star's 237-week streak at No. 1 last year after claiming the Beijing Olympic gold medal.

Federer, who turned around that season with a U.S. Open title, saved two championship points from 15-40 in the eighth game of the fifth set but sent a forehand long on the third match point.

Nadal flopped onto his back, then got up and raced to shake hands.

The players put their arms around the other's shoulders at the net as they walked off the court.

Although Federer actually won one more point -- 174-173 -- his serve let him down all too frequently. He connected on only 51 per cent of his first serves, and it seemed as if all of his six double-faults came at critical times.

And as the pressure ratcheted up in the fifth set, it was Federer who wilted, not Nadal. Federer had six winners and 14 unforced errors in the set, while Nadal had just two unforced errors and dropped only three points in four service games.

Federer was only able to convert 6 of his 19 breakpoint chances. Nadal converted 7 of 16.

Both players started tight, committing uncharacteristic errors. Knowing that weak shots would be punished, they were pushing the limits.

They exchanged service breaks in the first two games. Normally calm on court, Federer pumped his fist after breaking for a 4-2 lead only to double-fault when facing break point in the next game.

Nadal got the key break with Federer serving at 5-5. The crowd was stunned when he smacked a forehand wide on an easy short ball to make it 15-40, and Nadal followed with a forehand passing shot winner, then held for the set.

With Nadal seemingly getting to everything and ripping winners, Federer was looking tentative and hesitating to charge the net.

But he started putting winners together and cutting his mistakes in the second set. After Nadal broke for a 4-3 lead, Federer broke the Spaniard's next two service games, taking a 5-3 lead after converting his fifth break point of the game. He then held to take the set.

Then the match intensified.

Amid a series of rallies lasting more than 20 shots, Nadal saved six break points in his last two service games in the third set, and Federer fended off a set point while serving at 5-6.

A lunging backhand volley winner gave Nadal a 6-3 lead in the tiebreaker, earning him chants of "Rafa!" and Federer double-faulted.

Federer saved five break points while serving at 2-2 in the fourth set, then broke Nadal in the next game for a 4-2 edge.

He closed with a service winner to even it at two sets apiece.

Nadal broke Federer for a 3-1 lead and the clock ticked past midnight in the next game, taking the tournament into a third week.

It was the first Australian Open men's final to go to five sets since Mats Wilander beat Pat Cash in 1988, the first at Melbourne Park.

Serena needs just 59 minutes in final

RelatedWilliams: 6-0, 6-3
Men's draw:Instant classic: Nadal's five-setterPistol Pete on Federer
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Serena Williams always selects a special outfit to bring to Australia for a victory celebration. Every second year, she gets to wear it.

Williams' 6-0, 6-3 rout of Dinara Safina on Saturday earned her a 10th Grand Slam title, a fourth Australian title -- coming each odd-numbered year since 2003 -- and the No. 1-ranking.

"I actually forgot until the end when I was saying hi to my box. They're like, 'Hey, you're No. 1.' I was like, 'Oh, yeah,"' she said.

Not that a number means everything.

"I always believe I'm the best, whether I'm No. 1 or 100," she said. "Just having that extra bonus is pretty cool."

Williams set aside a stylish black top to wear for the big occasion this time. In between the match, doping tests and media commitments, she changed into it.

"I always bring an outfit for the championships," she said. "I always try to think positive, and I think it helps me be able to win."

Williams was so dominant that Safina, a 22-year-old Russian playing in her second major final, didn't feel worthy of being on the same court.

"It was first time for me to play not only for the Grand Slam, but also for No. 1 spot," said Safina, the 2008 French Open runner-up. "I never been through this situation, and she was already.

"Serena was too good ... I was just a ballboy on the court today," added Safina, apologizing to the Rod Laver Arena crowd after the 59-minute match.

After Melbourne's hottest three-day heat wave on record, conditions were a relatively mild 26 degrees for the tournament's first women's final at night.

Safina had been hoping to emulate two feats her brother, Marat Safin, achieved. He won the 2005 Australian Open -- the day after Serena won her second title here -- and held the No. 1 ranking.

"She played exactly the way she had to play and she was much more aggressive and she just was taking time out of me," Safina said.

"She didn't give me a chance."

Williams' win at the U.S. Open in September gave her the No. 1 ranking for the following four weeks, her first stint at the top since a 57-week stretch from July 2002.

She started this year at No. 2 and slowly worked her way through the tournament. She was struggling with her serve at times and had to fend off Svetlana Kuznetsova in the quarter-finals when the Russian was serving for the match.

"I was playing lazy tennis in the beginning and I was doubting myself," she said. "I'll thank my mom for hanging in there this week. The first week was tough, but we got through it."

She lifted herself in the semis to snap Olympic champion Elena Dementieva's 15-match winning streak and was overpowering from the first game of the final, losing only eight points and winning 18 of the last 20 in the 22-minute first set.

Williams finished with 23 winners and just seven unforced errors, winning more than twice as many points as Safina..

In '07, when Williams was ranked No. 81, she beat six seeded players en route to the final, where she beat top-ranked Maria Sharapova 6-1, 6-2.

In her two earlier runs to the Australian title, she'd had to save at least two match points in the semifinals. This was more straightforward.

"It was definitely one of my most dominant performances, especially considering it was a final," Williams said. "I was able to just lift the level of my game."

The first set was only the third 6-0 scoreline in the Australian Open final in 47 years. On the court after the match, Williams commended Safina for never giving up and being a good advertisement for women's tennis.

In a news conference later, she was asked if fans should be surprised or worried about a 6-0 set in a final.

"Uhm, hmm. I don't know ... You should never be surprised by anything that I do."

Williams' win here gave her back-to-back majors for the first time since winning the Australian title in 2003 to complete her "Serena Slam" of four consecutive majors. The only other woman since then to win back-to-back majors was now-retired Justine Henin, who won the 2003 U.S. Open and 2004 Australian title.

Williams still remains far away from the women's record for Grand Slam singles titles. Margaret Court Smith had 24 and Steffi Graf 22.

But by making the singles and doubles finals, she already had become the all-time leading money winner in women's sports. And her US$1.3 million for the singles title lifted her career earnings above $23.5 million..

She planned to spend a little of it in a double celebration with men's doubles champions Bob and Mike Bryan. She and sister Venus won the women's doubles final Friday -- their eighth Grand Slam doubles title.

American twins Bob and Mike Bryan won their seventh title Saturday, beating Mahesh Bhupathi of India and Mark Knowles of the Bahamas 2-6, 7-5, 6-0 to regain the No. 1 ranking.

"All I know is Serena usually picks up the bill," Mike Bryan said of the impending, co-celebrations.

.Williams took less than one-fifth of the time to beat Safina than top-ranked Rafael Nadal needed to fend off fellow Spanish left-hander Fernando Verdasco to reach the men's final.

Nadal won 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (2), 6-7 (1), 6-4 in five hours 14 minutes Friday, the longest match in the tournament's history, to reach Sunday's final against Roger Federer..

Federer, seeking to equal Pete Sampras' record 14 Grand Slam singles titles, beat American Andy Roddick in straight sets on Thursday.

On Sunday, they'll be meeting for the seventh time to decide a Grand Slam. Nadal, the four-time French Open champion, has a 4-2 edge highlighted by last year's epic five-set win at Wimbledon. He also ended Federer's 237-week stretch at No. 1 last August.

"This is where I won the Grand Slam to become No. 1 in the world, back in 2004," Federer said. "The stage is set for a great match. I hope we can live up to them.

"Hopefully, (I'll) equal Pete's record."

Sampras thought record would last

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS When Pete Sampras called it quits after winning his 14th Grand Slam singles title, he was certain that record would stand for quite some time. Enter Roger Federer. "I really thought that 14 would be a number that would be very tough to tie and break," Sampras said on Friday in a telephone interview with The Associated Press, "but Roger just came along and dominated the game much more than I ever did." Indeed, Sampras thinks Federer could wind up with as many as 18 or 19 major championships. Federer owns 13 as of now, and he can equal Sampras' career total by beating nemesis Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open final on Sunday. Sampras gives Federer a slight edge in what he called "a pick-'em match" -- "60-40 for Roger," Sampras said, "but Nadal's an animal. This guy, he won't quit." As he has in the past, Sampras noted that if anyone was going to match or surpass him, it might as well be Federer, someone he considers a friend. Still, Sampras does not plan to watch the whole final on TV. He is, after all, at home in Los Angeles with his family, which includes two children, ages 3 and 6. Because of the time difference, play will begin at nearly 1 a.m. his time. Too late for Dad to stay up to find out who wins. "It's tricky. Maybe I'll try to catch the first set or so," Sampras said. "But with two kids waking up pretty early, I need to sort of get a little rest." Perhaps that approach also is shaped by what Sampras considers an inevitability to Federer's march toward the milestone. It was sometime in 2006, as Federer's count reached eight Grand Slam titles, that Sampras began to realize he was going to be No. 2 on the list someday. And he was OK with that. "I don't sit and watch and hope he loses," Sampras said. "I just don't believe in cheering against people -- I never did, even when I played. I believe it's bad karma." He sent a text message after Federer won his semifinal in Australia this week and plans to make a congratulatory phone call if the Swiss star gets No. 14. But Pistol Pete isn't sure whether he would make the trek to his old stomping grounds at Wimbledon if Federer heads to the All England Club this summer with a chance to break the record. Their lone head-to-head match on tour came at Wimbledon in 2001, when Federer upset Sampras on Centre Court. Like many a fan, Sampras wishes their careers could have overlapped more: "My game would have matched up pretty well against Roger's," he said. At age 27 -- about 4 1/2 years younger than Sampras was when he collected his final Slam trophy at the 2002 U.S. Open -- Federer could have several more Slam titles in him, Sampras said. While Roy Emerson's record of 12 Grand Slam titles stood for 32 years before Sampras tied it in 1999, Sampras expects his time alone at the top to come to an end after less than a decade. Sampras believes Federer could hold onto the record for longer, maybe forever, for two principal reasons: Federer will wind up with so many titles, and his talent, dedication and consistency are rare. "Tennis is his No. 1 priority and he probably -- like I did in my prime -- lives, breathes tennis. That's the way you've got to be, and I think a lot of players aren't willing to sacrifice all that it takes to win multiple, multiple majors," Sampras said. "Roger is one who has the game and also is willing to prioritize his life to be the best player in the world and win 15, 17, 19 majors -- whatever it's going to be. So it's incredible. I know what it takes. And there's not many of us around." Ask Federer to rank who the best players in history are and he won't take the bait, saying something like what he said in Australia this week: "Probably never quite know who was the greatest of all-time in tennis, and I think that's quite intriguing as well." Sampras, in contrast, was willing to take up the topic. He tabs four men as the greatest, in no particular order: Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg, Federer and Sampras. "Four guys that dominated their generations more than anyone else," said the 37-year-old Sampras, who will be playing senior tournaments in Boston next month and in Mexico in March. That tour helps him keep in shape these days, and he insists he has no regrets about not sticking around on the real tour longer than he did. "Would I love for my record to stand? Absolutely," Sampras said. "But there's nothing I can do it about it today. Just sit back and watch (Federer) do it." Or go to sleep at a reasonable hour, get up when the kids do, and wait for the afternoon replay on TV.

Nadal wins marathon match

RelatedTeam Williams wins doublesFederer routs Roddick again THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Top-seeded Rafael Nadal has beaten fellow left-handed Spaniard Fernando Verdasco in the longest match in the history of the Australian Open.

Nadal beat Verdasco 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (2), 6-7 (1), 6-4 Friday and will try to prevent Roger Federer from winning his record-equaling 14th Grand Slam when the two meet Sunday in the final.

The semifinal lasted five hours, 14 minutes, breaking the previous mark of 5:11 in a match between Boris Becker and Omar Camporese of Italy in 1991.

Williams sisters win doubles title

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Serena and Venus Williams won their eighth Grand Slam women's doubles title Friday with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia and Japan's Ai Sugiyama.

The Williams sisters, seeded 10th, looked unflustered in the Australian Open final as they served out the first set in just 38 minutes under a closed roof on centre court.

The second set proved more difficult as the pairs exchanged breaks six times in nine games before the Williams' powerful returns and superior movement around the court proved the deciding factor.

Serena Williams, who returns to centre court Saturday for the singles final, dominated at the net as they broke Sugiyama's serve to take a 4-3 lead, then sealed the championship by breaking Hantuchova.

The sisters, who won the women's doubles gold medal at last year's Beijing Olympics, held up their rackets to celebrate the win before hugging each other on court.

"I'd like to thank Serena for being the best partner," Venus Williams, 28, said. "I wouldn't want to play with anyone else. She's amazing."

The Williams sisters now have three Australian Open doubles titles, having previously won here in 2001 and 2003.

Serena, 27, who has a chance to win her 10th singles Grand Slam title when she takes on Dinara Safina on Saturday, looked relaxed during and after the match.

The sisters laughed and chatted between sets and made an unhurried exit from Rod Laver Arena after the trophy presentations.