By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Tuesday, December 12, 2023
Australian tennis celebrates the return of a champion.
Former US Open champion Samantha Stosur has been named captain of Australia's Billie Jean King Cup squad.
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The 39-year-old Brisbane native was officially introduced as new captain at the Australian Tennis Awards.
Former world No. 4 Stosur, who defeated Serena Williams to win the 2011 US Open championship succeeds her friend and former teammate Alicia Molik as captain.
Stosur is Team Australia's all-time leader with 29 career singles wins in Billie Jean King Cup competition.
“I’ve got years of playing experience and one thing that I know is how the girls feel when you walk out on the court to play for Australia,” Stosur told Ross McLean of BillieJeanKingCup.com. “I know that feeling of doing it for the first time.
“Until you’re in that situation, you can’t really explain what it’s going to feel like going on a court to play in Billie Jean King Cup, compared to a normal tournament – even the first time playing the Australian Open. It really, truly is a different experience."
The 2010 Roland Garros runner-up aims to apply her playing experience coaching Aussie players as captain.
“I know I’ve got all these different areas of my own playing career that I can pull from," Stosur said. "I have that understanding, when someone’s really nervous, to be able to say, ‘yeah, I totally get it’.
“It’s not going to be a surprise if that happens. You can then try and navigate it together and come out on top, or in a good way.”
Australia is a seven-time Billie Jean King Cup champion with its last title triumph coming in 1974 when superstar Evonne Goolagong led Australia to a 2-1 victory over the United States in the final staged on the red clay of Naples, Italy. It was the fifth final between the two nations.
Molik, who lead Australia to the 2022 Billie Jean King Cup final and the 2023 semifinals, ended her 10-year tenure as captain and has signed on as the new Adelaide International Tournament Director.
Former Olympic bronze-medalist Molik, who made her farewell as Australia's Billie Jean King Cup captain last month, was honored with the Spirit of Tennis award at the annual Australian Tennis Awards ceremony.
Photo credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve