2024 Finals: Spotlight on Australia
26/09/2024 11:41
Seven-time champions Australia are one of the most successful nations in the history of the competition and under new captain Sam Stosur they will be looking to end a 50-year wait to lift the Billie Jean King Cup trophy
By Kevin Palmer
AUSTRALIA
Ranking: 4
Champions: 1964, 1965, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974
THE HISTORY
Australia enjoyed a stunning run of success in this competition from 1964, as they won seven titles in the space of 11 years.
Since then, it has been a story of near misses, with their appearance in the 2019 and 2022 Finals the closest they have come to adding to their list of victories in the Billie Jean King Cup.
The second of those Final appearances saw Australia lose against Switzerland in a Final staged in Glasgow, Scotland.
RECORD BREAKERS
Wendy Turnbull has won more matches in this competition than any Australian, with her impressive 46-16 winning record a tally that may never be beaten.
Current Australia captain Sam Stosur has the most singles wins (29) and Rennae Stubbs is a record holder for the most years played (17).
HOW THEY QUALIFIED
Australia came through the Qualifiers in April with a 4-0 win against Mexico in a tie staged on home soil in Brisbane.
Arina Rodionova and Daria Saville let the way for an Australian side and it was Perth teenager Taylah Preston who had the honour of securing the winning point that ensured her nation would be heading back to the Finals for a fourth straight year.
MEET THE CAPTAIN - Samantha Stosur
A veteran of this competition as a player, Stosur was a popular choice to take over as captain from Alicia Molic for this year's Billie Jean King Cup.
An eight-time Grand Slam champion, her singles win at the 2011 US Open was sealed with a convincing victory against Serena Williams in the Final in New York.
She also won seven Grand Slam doubles titles and played 34 ties in this competition, with a 29-20 winning record in singles, giving her more wins than any other Australian. She also had an impressive 10-1 record in doubles.
"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," said Stosur. "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 the Billie Jean King Cup, compared to a normal tournament – even the first time playing the Australian Open. It really, truly is a different experience.
"I know I've got all these different areas of my own playing career that I can pull from. I have that understanding, when someone's really nervous, to be able to say, 'yeah, I totally get it'.
"Watching tennis and back-to-back matches is actually quite tiring. I've already watched more tennis this year than I've done in many years since taking on this role.
"Alicia's did an amazing job in this role, with her leadership with the players. Everyone always wants to be part of the team; there's a great team culture. The two finals that we made... everyone's very, very proud of that and hopefully one day we can go that one step further."
WHO'S IN THE TEAM?
Olivia Gadecki, Daria Saville, Ajla Tomljanovic and Ellen Perez have been named by captain Stosur for the challenge in Malaga.
Gadecki will head into the Finals with plenty of expectations on her shoulders after some impressive form in recent weeks, including a run to the Final of the WTA 500 tournament in Guadalajara.
That has boosted her ranking and confidence ahead of the mission to Malaga, with Saville also a key member of the team on and off the court as she has so much experience at the highest level.
Tomljanovic's ambitions have been hampered by injuries over the last couple of years, but she could be a big player for Australia in Malaga.
