‘Every little bit counts’: Stosur calls on playing experience in new role
16/11/2024 14:30
Australia prepare to face Slovakia in Sunday’s Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge quarter-final
By Molly McElwee
Ajla Tomljanovic remembers her debut Billie Jean King Cup tie for Australia vividly. It was in Perth in 2019, and they were set to face a strong France team. She was feeling the nerves when she was offered some advice by a friendly face: Sam Stosur.
“It was before my first match, she gave me an encouraging talk,” Tomljanovic says. “When you’re a player who has just made the team and you have another player that’s pretty much been the main person in this team for years give you her support, I still remember it. To have her as my captain now I’m thrilled.”
It feels like a full circle moment for Stosur too. The former US Open champion arrives in Malaga this week for the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Finals to make her debut as captain at this stage in the competition.
As a player, she won the most singles matches of any Australian woman, and her total match-wins (39) trail only Wendy Turnbull in the record books. She represented her country in this competition across a 19-year period, and those experiences will shape how she approaches her captaincy too, she says.
She won the first tie in her new role against Mexico earlier this year to qualify for these Finals, and says she is still getting to grips with not having a racket in her hand.
“It certainly does feel a little bit different seeing it from the bench, from the sidelines,” Stosur, 40, says. “I can’t remember how many ties I actually played. There’s a number of them that stand out, some winning, some losing, still incredible memories from my playing career. It was incredibly special to be able to put on these jackets and play in the green and gold.
“Now I’m doing my best to help the players make those memories of their own. It’s still a pretty new position for me, it’s only my second tie, but leading a great team, it’s not a difficult thing.”
In terms of what she hopes to bring as a captain, Stosur says she is simply there to enhance what her players are already doing: “In this role it’s helping the players show who they are, what they’ve got, and just to show that you care and can try and support them in any single way – whether tactical advice or making them laugh or getting them a drink bottle. It really doesn’t matter. Every little bit counts. I’m trying to think about if I was a player what would I need right now.”
Tomljanovic, 31, thinks Stosur’s influence will be huge this week, because she is a “calming” force. “For me Sam has always had this calm energy, even as a player. When I practise with her she’s calm but intense. I feel like it translates into her being a captain as well. You can feel that if you’re struggling or doing well, she comes with the same soothing voice but with great advice as well. It’s a good contrast for me and my personality.”
Australia are seven-time champions, but have not lifted the trophy since 1974. Though the squad has gone through transitional moments in recent years, their results have been consistent in the Billie Jean King Cup, reaching at least the semi-finals in four of the last five seasons.
This week Tomljanovic is expected to lead the team again, as the top-ranked player - world No. 85 - with experience to draw upon. Twenty-two-year-old Olivia Gadecki, ranked just below her at 90, could make her singles debut for Australia too. Top doubles player Ellen Perez, who arrived in Malaga hot off making the last four at the WTA Finals, is another strong member of the squad.
Having received a bye through to the quarter-finals, Australia face Slovakia on Sunday for a place in the semi-finals. Tomljanovic says history shows you can never count them out: “I think that Team Australia, we’ve always been underdogs whenever we’ve made the finals, even semis.
“I think that [other teams] find us as a threat because we thrive in these situations and these weeks because we always have the camaraderie in the team, from the coaches to the staff to the players. You play for more than just yourself in weeks like this. I think it helps us to bring our best.”
