For years, Australia has been hoping to have someone to represent them on the WTA tour, to continue the very impressive Australian tennis tradition. Many saw in Alicia Molik the perfect athlete to take on that task. But injuries and many other factors held back her progression and made things difficult for her... But now, a few years later, she seems ready to take on the task of putting Australia back on the map of the WTA tennis. Alicia was born January 27th 1981 in Adelaide, Australia from parents Andrew and Teresa. She started off her professional career in 1996 playing some ITF events in Australia. Then, in 1998 came a big year for her as after playing in the Australian Open qualifications tournament for the first time, she went on to win 7 ITF events that year including 5 in a row thus creating huge hopes on her. Since then, things have been improving but simply at slower pace than was hoped or expected. Injuries and a few bad losses created a setback. But a few years later, in 2003, things started on the right track as Alicia won her first singles title ever, in Hobart, only days after a brilliant performance at the Hopman Cup, thus setting high hopes for the Australian Open. But an unfortunate injury delayed once more the progression that had been waited for so many years by all her Aussie fans...