THE WORLD OF MARA: EPISODE ONE

The lots were drawn and mine was a bitter one. I took solace in the zoo.

2007-01-24 to 2008-04-30

Disappointed but confident.

That was how I felt after being defeated by Serena Williams in the red hot bunker of Melbourne’s Rod Lever Arena. It was my fate, after my first steps on the central courts of the Grand Slam, to meet the younger of the Williams sisters.

It was hugely exciting to be at one of the great centres of world tennis, but Serena brought me down to the ground soon enough with her very physical, aggressive style of tennis. We tied the first games, but then in the fifth, after a hard struggle, the American player made a break and I never managed to catch up with her. In the second set she was radiantly self-confident and served no fewer than 10 aces. It was a Williams in great form that I had in front of me in this tournament.

To tell the truth, for the beginning of the series I’d expected and hoped to have an easier first round, but I was still hopeful. Even in the couples, though, things didn’t go well, since I had the tried and tested pair of Srebotnik-Safina opposite me.

Having got over my disappointment, I went to support Francesca Schiavone. We’d been training together since November under the supervision of Giampaolo Coppo and we’d made up a small team. Marco Panichi was dealing with our athletic preparation and here in Melbourne we also had a sparring partner to help us in our exercises and warm-ups.

The weather was really sizzling. Quite a few players had to go to their doctors because of problems created by the excessive heat. Even Sharapova and Mauresmo, who looked as if they were made of granite, suffered a little.

I had decided to repeat again this year the experience of the mixed double. My partner was the Pole Mariusz Fyrstenberg and I came to know that he, too, was keen on beach tennis. I’ll tell you in another article about this passion of mine, which started up almost by chance but which helps me a lot to improve my reflexes as well as making my strikes and my movements more rapid.

Since I had a bit of free time I also went sightseeing, if only to enjoy a little of the cool wind that blows across the very beautiful bay. One of my favourite places in Melbourne is certainly the zoo, one of the biggest in the world.

As you know, I’m very keen on nature and I never miss an opportunity to get to know exotic animals and unspoilt landscapes, whenever I have the time. The Kingdom of the Koalas, says the notice beside the entrance. And it really seems that these tiny animals, rather like Teddy-bears, know it and take advantage of it … with the tourists, trying to get something to eat.

There were a lot of people, too, to visit the well-stocked reptile house. Perhaps not everybody knows that many of the most poisonous and lethal snakes live in Australia. Those who go to Australia to savour untamed nature have to watch where they put their feet.

Hi from Melbourne, Mara