Australian Open 2012 live stream

India has an enviable record in Grand Slam tournament doubles events over the past decade and the four Indian players in the 2012 Australian Open mixed doubles draw will be hoping this year is no different.

India will once again be well represented by sixth seeds Mahesh Bhupathi and Sania Mirza, winners here in 2009. Doubles specialists Leander Paes and Rohan Bopanna are also competing. Paes and Elena Vesnina (RUS) are the fifth seeds while Bopanna teams up with American doubles legend Lisa Raymond and are seeded fourth.

There is plenty of reason to expect some, if not all of those pairings will go far, as there has been at least one Indian player involved in six of the last nine mixed doubles finals at Melbourne Park.

This year's mixed doubles has some added interest, with plenty of anticipation building around some exciting partnerships and lots of local Aussie interest to boot.

With the London Olympics around the corner, and mixed doubles being included for the first time since 1924, many players will be looking to hone their combined skills here in order to have created that perfect partnership with a fellow compatriot by the time July rolls around.   

In the lead-up to this tournament, there was plenty of buzz around the potential American pairing of Serena Williams and Andy Roddick. Unfortunately Roddick's hamstring injury, which forced him to retire in his match against Lleyton Hewitt on Rod Laver Arena Thursday night, has seen the pair withdraw. However the American duo will likely make a return later in the year when Roddick is at full fitness.

According to tennis legend Jim Courier, Roddick is desperate to win a medal at the Olympics and allegedly told the US Davis Cup Captain that he would compete in any event to achieve that goal, “even if it was distance spitting.”

Apparently, Courier also asked Roddick which side he would play on with Williams, to which Roddick replied, “Whichever side Serena tells me.”

Of the pairs left in the draw, top seeds Mike Bryan (US) and Kveta Peschke (CZE) will be tough to beat, while Australian teenage sensation Bernard Tomic alongside flamboyant Serb Jelena Jankovic will provide a fascinating mix. The pair nearly didn’t compete at all, as in a press conference earlier in the week; Tomic admitted he had forgotten to sign them in.

“She’ll kill me for that,” he laughed. “She told me to sign in. Thanks for reminding me. Gee, I knew I forgot something in the last few weeks.”

Adding even more intrigue is that Tomic and Jankovic will meet young Australians Ash Barty and Ben Mitchell first-up.

Japan’s Kei Nishikori, who reached the third round of the singles last night after a stunning comeback against Australian Matt Ebden, will pair with Kimiko Date-Krumm, who at 41 years-old, is a remarkable 19 years older than her partner. The Japanese duo meets Argentines Gisela Dulko and Eduardo Schwank.

For the local crowds, other Australians in action include a trio of wildcard partnerships: Olivia Rogowska and Marinko Matosevic, Casey Dellacqua and Matt Ebden and finally, Jelena Dokic pairs with last year’s mixed doubles runner-up (with Chan Yung-jan), Paul Hanley.