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"I know is how the girls feel when you walk out on the court to play for Australia," she said.

ByBaseline Staff

Published Dec 12, 2023

One of Australia's finest players will take the reins of its Billie Jean King Cup team next year: Samantha Stosur will succeed Alicia Molik in the captain's chair.

The news was revealed earlier this week in conjunction with the Newcombe Medal ceremony, the annual celebration of Australian tennis, and Stosur received kudos from former Australian stalwarts like Casey Dellacqua and Rennae Stubbs when the announcement hit social media.

The 39-year-old, who retired from tennis in 2022, said she was keen to take an opportunity in the sport in Australia after enjoying some time away from the courts, and started her post-playing career with a spell doing commentary earlier this year.

"I’m glad that [the opportunity] ended up being this role," she told tennis.com.au.

Stosur made her Billie Jean King Cup debut more than 20 years ago, as a teenager in 2003, and played in 34 ties overall. Her last match was a victory at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, as she partnered Storm Hunter in the deciding doubles match that sent Australia to the 2022 final against Switzerland in Glasgow, Scotland.

Overall, Stosur posted a 39-21 win-loss record in Billie Jean King Cup, and says she's keen to lean on that playing experience to lead

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“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. I know that feeling of doing it for the first time,” Stosur said.

“You can’t really explain until you’re in that situation to know 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.

“So I know I’ve got all these different areas of my own playing career that I can pull from. Having that understanding, when someone’s really nervous or something, to know, ‘oh yeah I totally get it’. It’s not going to be a surprise if that happens. You can then try and navigate that together and come out on top, or in a good way."

Stosur will make her debut as captain in April in the Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers, as Australia will host Mexico in April looking to book a return trip to the 12-team Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Seville, Spain.