Alicia Molik says she feels completely healthy and will make her WTA return at the Italian Open.
From The Herald Sun: Rusty Molik to sit out Fed Cup
ALICIA Molik's long-awaited tennis return is still on hold after she was left out of Australia's Fed Cup team yesterday.
Captain David Taylor said from Seoul he couldn't risk the former world No. 8 in the Asia-Oceania Group round-robin matches starting today.
"Unfortunately for Alicia, she's a bit too rusty and not up to the level required," Taylor said.
"I've no doubt she will get back to a level where she's playing tournaments again, but unfortunately it won't be this week."
Molik put aside her disappointment to agree with Taylor's decision for her to stand aside for team rookie Casey Dellacqua, who has shaded her in head-to-head sets in the past five days.
"I was very close. The difference was that I'm not playing consistently well day in, day out," Molik said.
"From our coach and captain's perspective, they need to know exactly what every singles player is going to bring to the court. My form is up and down.
"We played a few sets. Casey nabbed me in those and the spot is hers. But it's good practice and I've got the bigger picture in sight.
"I would love to play, but I can't expect to play when my form is not there. If I was the captain I would've done what David did." ...
Despite being relegated to being a hitting partner for the next four days, Molik said she planned to make her tournament comeback at next month's Italian Open as a claycourt warm-up to the French Open, before heading to Wimbledon and the grasscourt season.
"I haven't played solid matches for a year where I've felt good," she said. "I've only been practising for five or six weeks.
"Some days I feel like I see the ball like a watermelon and I hit the lines. Other days I feel like I can't hit the proverbial (wall).
"When you're not playing matches and points in pressure situations for a long time, it's hard to react from instinct.
"I feel 100 per cent healthy.
"But feeling good and hitting the ball well are two completely different things.
"I feel very fit, but in terms of match play and putting the ball on a dime, I'm not doing that yet.
"I'm not setting up points and executing them.
"Even playing sets at home and coming here with something on the line in a match situation is a lot different."
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