Molik Makes Return to Tour This Week in Rome

ROME, Italy - After initially believing it would take the entire 2006 season to recover from a nagging inner ear infection, a fully-recovered Alicia Molik will make her grand return to the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour this week at the Internazionali d'Italia in Rome.

Molik, who was ranked in the Top 10 as recently as last summer, began showing signs of recovery from her illness in early March, and jumped on the opportunity to get back into the swing of things.

"I started praciticing again at the start of March," said the 25-year-old Melbourne native. "I didn't necessarily ease into it, I started hitting quite regularly straight away. I'm 100% now, a lot better than the last time I tried to come back. My ear condition is well and truly behind me."

Molik actually made her return to pro competition this past week at the $50,000 ITF Women's Circuit event in Gifu, Japan. Although she dropped the opening match of her pro circuit comeback to compatriot Casey Dellacqua, the Australian has felt ready to face the big guns of the Tour again for a while, but was held back with other commitments.

"I actually planned on coming back a little earlier, but had to stay in Australia to participate in the finale of the show Dancing With The Stars. I didn't win but all the contestants came back for the finale and I had to uphold that commitment."

Between the summer of 2004 and spring 2005, Molik was one of the hottest players on the Tour, winning 37 of 44 singles matches, four of five career singles titles (including the Tier I event in Zürich), a bronze medal at the Athens Olympics and reaching her first Grand Slam quarterfinal at the Australian Open. On January 31, 2005, after the final eight finish in Melbourne, she became the first Australian to crack the Top 10 since Wendy Turnbull 20 years earlier, reaching a career-high of No.8 in February after finishing runner-up at Doha.

In March 2005, however, she developed an inner ear infection (vestibular neuronitis), which affected her balance and vision. She won just one match in her last nine events of the season, eventually announcing the aforementioned break from the professional circuit to fully recuperate.

"At the start of the year, I was thinking I'd be having the whole year off. But I have been feeling great and practicing and I believe I'm hitting the ball well. I can't wait. I'm really pumped."

Molik is also scheduled to play at Istanbul next week.