Molik To Make Comeback - 網球 Tennis

LONDON, England - Former world No. 8 Alicia Molik is preparing to launch a
comeback after almost a year in retirement. The 28-year-old Australian hopes
to compete at a $25,000 ITF Women's Circuit event at Darwin in Australia's
Northern Territory next month, but reportedly will first try doubles at Sony
Ericsson WTA Tour events on the North American hardcourt swing already
underway.

''She's hoping to [play in Darwin], that's the plan,'' her agent, Alice
Estcourt of Octagon, told The Australian newspaper. ''But she's just playing
it by ear, seeing how she goes, how she's feeling and will then go from
there.''

Molik's career was sabotaged in its prime by an inner ear infection that
affected her balance and vision and kept her out of action for the best part
of a year. Cruelly, things started to unravel within weeks of her career
reaching new highs, highlighted by a first Grand Slam quarterfinal at the
2005 Australian Open, which propelled the powerful right-hander, then 24,
into the Top 10.

By that point Adelaide-born Molik had grown into the most successful
Australian-born player in some time. Armed with a rare one-handed backhand
and one of the most explosive serves in women's tennis, she won the first of
five Tour singles titles at Hobart in 2003. But 2004 was her standout year.
Among her three Tour titles was victory at Zürich, where she defeated Maria
Sharapova in the final; she also defeated Anastasia Myskina to win the bronze
medal at the Athens Olympic Games. By the end of the season she scored five
Top 10 wins and had cracked the Top 20 herself.

Molik's start to 2005 was even more promising. She won the title at Sydney,
defeating Samantha Stosur in the first all-Australian Tour final since 1992,
before defeating Venus Williams to reach the last eight in Melbourne, where
she duly pushed Lindsay Davenport to 9-7 in the third set. Afterwards Molik
rose from No.12 to No.10, and would spend a total of 22 weeks inside the
elite, including 12 non-consecutive weeks at No.8. She took Justine Henin to
three sets at Miami but after a second round loss at Amelia Island pulled out
of the rest of the clay court season, and a couple of aborted attempts to
return eventually announced an extended break to recover.


前世界排名前十的Molik 在宣布退休後將近一年後
決定在下個月澳洲的ITF 25k賽事復出
先試試水溫 看能走多遠

http://tinyurl.com/mevkqc

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