Australian Open Friday, 19 February 2021 Melbourne, Victoria, Press Conference we were able to execute all of that when it really mattered.

Q. What does it mean to be into another EBDEN-STOSUR/Drawczyk-Salisbury final? 7-5, 5-7, 10-8 MATTHEW EBDEN: I mean, yeah, it's why we play for sure. Looking back, Sam has won singles, Grand Slam. THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. I won a mixed. She's won doubles and mixed as well. At the end of the day it's things like , Fed Cup, Q. Did you come in with any kind of expectations? Grand Slams that are dreams that you play for. It's no different. MATTHEW EBDEN: I mean, I don't know. I think, yeah, first time we've played with each other, but we've known People say it's only mixed doubles. Sure, it's not singles each other for five, 10 years at least. Seen each other at but doubles. We certainly make the most of it, feel like tournaments all around the world, always say hi, how you it's important and worth every effort. We do our best for going, whatnot. I've watched Sam and maybe she's it. seen me play as well. Pretty familiar with each other. Feels kind of natural and neutral, pretty normal out there Yeah, to play on Arena yesterday with the I suppose for a first-time pairing. crowd, get it done. To play again there tomorrow night, that's for sure the fun and motivation for why we play. I think just being experienced has helped us gel quickly. Sam and I both last year didn't go away after COVID. We know what to expect out of the format of mixed We were home for most of last year, both of us. doubles firstly, and also we know what to expect from each other, what we're after. To come out and start January well, get a bunch of matches and rhythm in February as well, it's a great start We had some good practice sessions together. We put to the year for us. Probably makes us feel good going in some good work, quite a few hours of good practice forward the rest of the year having the rest of our and good warmups and good work, working on our careers. game, getting ready for our matches. Q. We've seen some other doubles teams on the Yeah, so far so good. tour that have team names. Have you come up with a team name? Q. Do you feel your experience was key in the tiebreak? MATTHEW EBDEN: No. SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, I mean, I don't know. I SAMANTHA STOSUR: No. think we're all used to playing super tiebreaks in the doubles format throughout the year anyway. But, yeah, MATTHEW EBDEN: Can you help us? we all know how to play doubles out there. Joe obviously lost in the semis of the men's doubles today. Q. Ebster. MATTHEW EBDEN: He won. MATTHEW EBDEN: Or Stebden, Stubden. SAMANTHA STOSUR: Oh, sorry. Des made the final of Q. Sanden. Sound like Stolle. the last year. We all knew what was going on. The super tiebreaks can go any way. Sometimes MATTHEW EBDEN: We'll have to put it to a vote or get they're a bit of a shootout. We got a really good start. some recommendations. You guys can help decide. Our game plan was just to stay aggressive and keep up good energy and do what we were doing well. Thankfully

104758-1-1004 2021-02-19 08:36:00 GMT Page 1 of 2 Q. Final tomorrow night. Must be looking forward to with a high doubles ranking will ask her to team up, get in it. What do you make of your rivals there? on the ranking. That's for sure sometimes a factor, too. We just never really quite came across or worked yet. SAMANTHA STOSUR: Really excited to play tomorrow Glad it has now. I shotgun you as a partner for the rest night. I think after obviously the women's final, hopefully of our careers. that's a great final, and hopefully everyone will stick around to try to watch two Aussies try to win one Q. Looked like it was Serena's last tournament ourselves. without her saying so. Are you the kind of person that will make a statement or are you likely to just not Any Grand Slam final is great. To have another one here turn up? at home for both of us in that arena after women's singles final, going to be really exciting. SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, I don't know. I think maybe it's harder, you maybe don't know at the start of Q. You're saying you've known each other for up to the event. If I went through and won the singles here, 10 years. In one sense has it surprised you the way maybe I'd be like, Yup, I'm good, won the title, end on a you've meshed this week? high. I think maybe it depends when you actually know.

MATTHEW EBDEN: Not really, to be honest. Like we In some ways it would be pretty hard to be playing the said, we both know that we're experienced on the tour, tournament knowing it's your last one. In other ways singles and doubles and mixed doubles even. I'm not maybe it would actually be nice because you can kind of really surprised, to be honest. just relax into it, enjoy every single second. I think it's got positives both ways. I mean, I think mixed doubles, you never really know. You go out there with all the plans and stuff, but you both It's such an individual thing to kind of go through. Yeah, I suppose have the experience to know, right, anything sometimes it's tough to know whether it's the time or not. can happen here, let's be ready for anything. Maybe that I hope Serena's back. I guess time will tell. just boded well for us. Strange points or funny things happen, that's okay because we expect the unexpected Q. Is that something you'd cry about? here. SAMANTHA STOSUR: Probably. Not really. If you'd said we'd be in the final at the start of the week, I'd say, yeah, I could see that. At the same Q. The atmosphere was great out there today. Was time, can you win it? Well, of course, but we know how it nice to play in front of a crowd on your side? this works. It's one by one, match by match. There's a ton of good players in the draw, plenty of Grand Slam MATTHEW EBDEN: So nice. It was a highlight for us titleists and finalists that we're playing against. yesterday being on Rod Laver Arena. That was extra Tomorrow no different. And no different I suppose for special. Today was no different. I wasn't sad, but our opponents playing us as well. wanted to be on Rod Laver again. The doubles people who played on Rod Laver today, the doubles teams, they Great for . Good battles all around. I think said there was a bigger crowd out there for our mixed tomorrow will be no different. It will be great, like Sam doubles than they had for some of the doubles. said, if the Aussie crowd stays and support us. We're the Obviously coming out supporting the Aussies. I wasn't last Aussies standing. Hopefully they can stay and sure if there would be many people. Only match support us. scheduled out there all day. Heck of an effort for everyone to come out and support us. We are really Q. Did you contemplate playing together before? thankful and grateful. Opponents said even if the crowd was for us, it was great to have fans and atmosphere. SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, don't know. That's what Aussie Open is all about. Hopefully tomorrow a great crowd, atmosphere, fun. We're excited MATTHEW EBDEN: You had a higher ranking. for it.

SAMANTHA STOSUR: Sometimes I haven't played FastScripts by ASAP Sports mixed either. Look, especially in Australia, I've always loved to try and play with an Aussie, if any chance. Yeah, I mean, I'm glad we've been able to do this, that's for sure.

MATTHEW EBDEN: I mean, Sam also had a real high doubles ranking sometimes, too. Sometimes someone

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