25 June,2009 08:17 AM IST | | AFP
Hyderabadi ace Sania Mirza crashed out of Wimbledon in the second round, losing 4-6, 4-6 to Romanian No 28 seed Sorana Cirstea yesterday.
Sania was able to break her friend's serve but hit far more unforced errors than the French Open quarter-finalist.
The pair are good friends off the court but fought a close battle on it.
"We are professionals and we go out there and give our best, and we come off and we're friends again.
"I came back and she was eating lunch with my dad so just before the match we actually had a laugh about that. I just saw her for five minutes."
Sania has yet to start her ladies' doubles and mixed doubles campaigns at the All England Club but is feeling confident about her progress this year after having struggled with a wrist injury.
Not hurting
"In terms of fitness I'm pretty much at my best because I'm not really hurting in any major way, which is one of the best things because I've gone through half the year almost and not been injured yet.
"Last year it was really tough staying home, and being out for six to eight months in a year it's not easy to come back. This year I'm just happy to be healthy.
"In terms of confidence, I feel like I'm hitting the ball really well, and I'm playing well. I love playing on the grass.
"The next season is on the US hard court, which is also one of my favourite surfaces because I've always done well there."
Meanwhile, Mahesh Bhupathi and his partner Mark Knowles of Bahamas had to dig deep to move into the second round of the men's doubles with a tough 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-5, 7-5 win over Somdev Devvarman and South African Kevin Anderson.
