Alicia Molik might not be a Tasmanian by birth but she says that she regards the Domain Tennis Centre as a second home after spending many happy times playing in Hobart.
“I’ve got some fantastic memories,” says Molik, who won her first title here in 2002.
“This is a special place for me. I walked into the clubhouse yesterday and saw my photo up on the wall from the year that I won it. It’s a real pleasure to come back and to be given the opportunity to come back. I think it was the real springboard to my career, winning my first title here in Hobart. I think a tournament like this one has a lot of loyal followers.”
“I’ve got a few friends here and so I love coming back and a people seem to come from all over Tassy to watch me. For me it feels like I’m coming home in a way, because even though I live in Melbourne, I feel like I’ve got a lot of friends here and a lot of people involved in the tournament that I’ve got to know over the years.”
Molik, who will face Sofia Arvidsson in the first round of singles on Monday, is coming into the Moorilla Hobart International after a week of challenging tennis alongside Lleyton Hewitt as part of the Australian team at the Hopman Cup in Perth.
“Last week in Perth I feel like I played the equivalent of playing two or three tournaments, because we spent six matches and spent plenty of time on the practice court in the week before,” she said.
“So I feel like I’ve had plenty of practice and I feel very well prepared coming in here as well.”
The picturesque seaside surroundings of the Domain Tennis Centre can present a different challenge to the warm, damp climate as other AO Series events like the Brisbane International and the Medibank Sydney International, but they suit Molik just fine.
“Conditions are great. I train in Melbourne, and we have a lot wind and we’ve had a cooler climate the last couple of months so I’m used to that,” says the South Australian.
“I like it, I love playing in the wind because it assists my slice a little bit and I can get my serve jumping around, but, gosh, Hobart has its beautiful weather as well and I’m sure we can expect some of that, too!”