Klaudia Jans and Alicja Rosolska are relatively rare in professional tennis, in that they decided near the beginning of their careers to concentrate on doubles. That was back in 2004 when, as teenaged wildcards, they went all the way to the final at Sopot. Since then there have been four more finals and one title, at Marbella last year - when they beat French Open champions Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual for the trophy. Along the way they've also proven to be a real asset to Poland's Fed Cup team, pulling out several clutch wins for their country.

We caught up with Gdansk-born Klaudia, 25, and Warsaw's Alicja, 24, during the Medibank International Sydney.

How did you both get into tennis?
KJ: I originally started to play for fun when I was four, but then I took up swimming for a few years. When I was nine I started to play tennis again - my parents were handballers, but they loved tennis and they wanted me to this sport, not handball, which my dad felt was too risky. 
AR: I started to play when I was six. My mother is a tennis coach, so actually as soon as I could walk I started to have fun playing with the balls and holding the racquet.

At what point did you start to think you could make it as pros?
AR: When we reached the final at Sopot. We were 18, 19.
KJ: I never really dreamt I could play the Tour because in Poland we didn't have many good players to show us the way to big time tennis. Then Agnieszka Radwanska came along and we really admire what she has achieved, reaching the Top 10 at such a young age. But I think for us, it was when Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski started to do something in doubles on the ATP Tour that I started to believe maybe we could do the same.

So was there a specific time when you decided really to focus on doubles?
KJ: Yes - it was after that final in Sopot. We had been given a wildcard by the tournament. In singles I was barely in the Top 500 at the time. We beat the top seeds, Iveta Benesova and Lubomira Kurhajcova. We both tried to play singles too but had better results in doubles and a Polish sponsor came along who said they would be prepared to sponsor us - to play doubles. They wanted Poland to have a team at the Olympic Games in Beijing, and we did it. 

What's your coaching situation?
KJ: We have a coach who travels with us to most tournaments. His name is Maciej Domka.

What are your strengths individually, and what do you think makes you a good team?
KJ: I know mostly in doubles it's about the serve and volleying. My serve is good but but for me, I have a good return and play well from the baseline.
AR: My volleying, my forehand. My serve as well… but I'm still working on it.
KJ: We try to talk before a match about tactics. We try to work very much as a team, not just individuals, also off court as well. We've known each other since a young age and we spend a lot of time together… almost 24 hours a day, nine months of the year!

So you must like each other?
KJ: Yes. We are good friends.

Do you ever annoy each other?
KJ: I like to go to sleep earlier, whereas Alicja is always out doing something and coming back to the room later. I want to go to sleep and she's still awake. But I'm worried about her... you know, that she cannot sleep!
AR: I have the same problem. Usually I like to do something in the evening because I go to sleep at…
KJ: One!
AR:… One o'clock in the morning. But I know I can't read or do anything in the room because I am disturbing Klaudia. It's tough!

Who has been the toughest pair you've come up against?
KJ: Hantuchova and Sugiyama. They were just very solid - on a scale of one to 10, you had to play at eight the whole time to win a game. Also Medina Garrigues and Ruano Pascual. The Spanish girls are especially good on a clay court. They don't make mistakes so you have to fight for every point, really win every point. And at the Olympic Games we played against Liezel Huber and Lindsay Davenport… it was fast!
AR: Of course Cara Black and Huber are a really good team - it is always tough to play against them. You really have to think.

What do you consider your finest moment as a team?
KJ: For me, it was last year when we won the tournament at Marbella, winning against Spaniards in Spain. And last year in Fed Cup we played Japan. The tie was level at 2-2 and we won the deciding rubber in three sets and with that Poland was promoted to World Group II for the first time. That was something special.
AR: I still remember Sopot, and also when we played the final at Warsaw in 2005. It was at my club and a lot of people I know were watching.

Growing up, did you have tennis idols?
AR: I liked Sampras and Agassi, and now Federer. Among the women now I like the way Samantha Stosur plays.
KJ: I really admire Kim Clijsters.

If you could play one of the greats from the past, who would it be?
AR: Steffi Graf.
KJ: Monica Seles.

What did you do for fun in the off-season?
AR: I went diving in Egypt. It was my first time but I did a course and now I can dive to 18 metres. Actually it was my first holiday!
KJ: I also took my first holiday - I went to Tunisia with my boyfriend for a week. And I spent a week at home, which was even better, with all the food and being able to sleep in my own bed. It was nice to rest and not have to think about anything.

What are your goals in tennis?
AR: For this year, we want to make it to the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam and be Top 30 in doubles - we're around the 50 mark at the moment. And then next year our aim is to qualify for the Sony Ericsson Championships.
KJ: Our best result at a Grand Slam so far was the third round at the US Open. It would be really good if we could take that next step and make progress from there.