30 November 2023 | Tennis Australia

After a decade at the helm of Australia’s Billie Jean King Cup team, Alicia Molik is returning to her home town to take up her new role as tournament director of the Adelaide International.

It marks the next step in Molik’s tennis journey, having taken up the sport in the South Australian capital before her ascent to world No.8 in singles and No.6 in doubles.

“Tennis is part of my everyday DNA and to have the opportunity to be a part of a world-class tennis event in the city where I grew up is really something special,” Molik said.

“This is a chance for me to give back to the community that supported me throughout my on-court career and still to this day.

A bronze medallist at the Athens Olympics in 2004, Molik went on to beat Maria Sharapova for her biggest career singles title in Zurich that year before a run to the Australian Open 2005 quarterfinals, following her twilight Rod Laver Arena upset of Venus Williams.

She won women’s doubles Grand Slam trophies at Australian Open 2005 with Svetlana Kuznetsova and Roland Garros 2007 with Mara Santangelo.

> READ: Alicia Molik’s proud Billie Jean King Cup legacy 

A Fed Cup representative from 1999, she went on to lead Australia to the Billie Jean King Cup final as captain in 2019 in Perth and 2022 in Glasgow.

Her final tie in charge of the team came in November this year when Australia fell in the group stage in Seville.

It held her in good stead for the next chapter.

“The last decade with the Australian Billie Jean King Cup team has prepared me for this next challenge,” Molik said.

“Working with players and their teams to understand how to provide the best competition experience is critical to the ongoing growth of the tournament and its success.”

The Adelaide International, part of the Australia’s Summer of Tennis, will be contested at The Drive from 8 – 13 January 2024. 

For tickets, visit ticketmaster.com.au/adelaideinternational.