One-on-one with Sam Stosur

No-one expected to find 25-year-old Sam Stosur at the quarter-final stage of the French Open, least of all the bubbly Aussie and her entourage. Slammin’ Sam, as she is affectionately known, is the first Australian to reach the last eight in Paris since Nicole Provis in 1988, and now she is aiming higher. Stosur is above all renowned for being a doubles specialist. Alongside Lisa Raymond, she won no fewer than 22 titles including the 2005 US Open and 2006 French Open, and is a former world number one in the discipline. Her singles record is far less impressive however, with four losing finals appearances to her name. Stosur’s best-ever Grand Slam performance prior to this June was a run to the fourth round at the Australian Open in 2006, so how does she explain her fabulous display at this year’s French? “The work I’ve been putting on over the past two years is really paying off. I’m much more mature. I am a bit surprised though I must admit. I didn’t have any specific goals here but I was confident even if my recent results haven’t been great. I knew I was close to my best.” Laid low Stosur’s excellent show is all the more laudable given the fact that she was laid low by Lyme disease, an infection derived from a tick bite, and was subsequently unable to compete for an eight-month period between July 2007 and April 2008. Now though she is back, bang on form, and incredibly at home on clay for someone who did not play on the surface until the age of 15 and then lost in the first round in Paris four years straight as a junior and a young pro. “Over time I’ve learnt to love clay,” says Stosur. “It’s now my second favourite surface.” A long way from home Coached by her Fed Cup captain David Taylor, she has further Aussie company here in Paris in the form of Rennae Stubbs, her new doubles partner. Sam’s only regret is that her family were unable to come and see what to date is her best-ever run at a Slam. “They were supposed to come but in the end they couldn’t make it. But they have told me everyone is talking about me back home so I can take inspiration from that. It’s just great that all my hard work is paying off here at a Grand Slam.” Stosur now plays Romanian Sorana Cirstea (read our exclusive portrait here) for a place in the French Open semi-finals. Whatever the outcome, her fine results so far will see her rise to a career-best singles ranking in the top 25.