TENNIS in DEPTH.

Justine Henin and Lleyton Hewitt both made winning returns from injury to leave their Hopman Cup tie finely poised in Perth. Former world number one Henin, in her first match since picking up a career-threatening elbow injury six months ago, overcame Alicia Molik 6-4 6-4 to put Belgium 1-0 up against Australia. “It’s my first match in a few months and I’m coming back from nowhere with the elbow injury so at least it wasn’t an easy opponent to play first,” the world number 12 told hopmancup.com. “She changed the rhythm a lot and on my serve I had to work very hard to try to serve with no pain.

“It’s feeling much better and I won, which is the most important thing. I still can’t play 100 per cent free of pain, but it’s getting better. “A few weeks ago I really didn’t know if I was going to be able to play in Australia and I’ve been working so hard, and I’m glad that I’m almost there. Now I have to build my confidence back and find the rhythm of matches again.” However, Belgium’s lead did not last long as Hewitt – in his first competitive action since hurting his hand in September – got the hosts back on level terms with a 6-4 6-3 triumph over Ruben Bemelmans.

In the doubles the Aussie pair came back after losing the first set 6-1 to win in a tie breaker.

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Tennis stars Jelena Dokic and Alicia Molik will rekindle a rivalry which has been dormant since their junior days when they meet in the semi-finals of the Australian Open wildcard tournament. Molik and Dokic both battled to win their matches in three sets on day three of the play-offs, with Molik beating Canberra’s Alison Bai 3-6 6-3 6-1 and Dokic outlasting Victorian Tammi Patterson 7-5 2-6 6-3.

Molik, 29, and Dokic, 27, travelled as juniors together but have not met in a senior tour event. “We haven’t played for many years now. I can’t remember the last time,” Molik said. “We’ve practised so many years together and been on so many junior trips together, it’s all a bit of a blur but the junior rivalry will come back out on Saturday, I’m sure. “We always had a pretty healthy rivalry so it should be a really good match.”

Molik recalled Dokic’s stirring run to the Australian Open quarter-finals two years ago, but warned even experienced players could become apprehensive. “She’s a fantastic ball striker, no doubt about that,” Molik said. “Everyone saw her form two years ago in the Australian Open – but there’s a lot up for grabs (and) it’s amazing what nerves can do in a match.”

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The Hopman Cup today announced that Francesca Schiavone will partner Potito Starace for Italy at January’s ITF International Mixed Teams Championship in Perth and Alicia Molik will partner Lleyton Hewitt for Australia. Schiavone becomes the sixth Grand Slam Champion coming to Perth this year joining Serena Williams, Lleyton Hewitt, Justine Henin, Novak Djokovic, and Ana Ivanovic.

 Paul McNamee, said, “Francesca has been pre-eminent in the renaissance of Italian tennis – their success in Fed Cup speaks for itself, and may well spill over to the Hopman Cup. It’s also great to be able to welcome Alicia back. She’s done such a great job in her comeback so far”. Schiavone said, “I’m delighted to be coming back to Perth. This has been an amazing year for me, and I look forward to starting the New Year well with Potito”.

The teams announced to date are:

■USA – Serena Williams and John Isner.

■Belgium – Justine Henin and Steve Darcis.

■Serbia – Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic.

■France – Kristina Mladenovic and Gael Monfils.

■Kazakhstan – Yaroslava Shvedova and Andrey Golubev.

■Italy – Francesca Schiavone and Potito Starace.

■Australia – Alicia Molik and Lleyton Hewitt.

One further team will complete the eight nation field. Alicia Molik returns to the Burswood Centre Court for the first time having moved to Western Australia after her retirement in 2008. She returned to the international tennis scene in 2009 after recovering from a series of injuries with a successful run through the Australian Pro-Tour, which got her back inside the top 200. Further success on the WTA Tour has seen her ranking rise inside the top 100 (currently 95) and she was a member of Australia’s Fed Cup team this year. Alicia will partner Lleyton Hewitt.

Hyundai Hopman Cup XXIII runs from 1-8 January 2011 at Perth’s Burswood Dome. Series Tickets are on sale via Ticketek and Corporate Tickets are also now available (hopmancup.com).

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The April edition of Australian Tennis Magazine is out now with a very stylish Sam Stosur adorning the cover.

Anastasia Rodionova will make her Australian debut for the Fed Cup team in April against Ukraine.

Melbourne based Rodionova will join Australia’s No.1 Samantha Stosur, the inform Alicia Molik and Rennae Stubbs, No.8 in doubles, at the Fed Cup by BNP Paribas 2010 World Group play-off tie.

A win in April will allow the Australian team to return to the World Group for the first time since 2004.

Australian Fed Cup captain David Taylor said he wants the strongest team possible for this World Group play-off.

“This is perhaps one of the most significant Fed Cup ties in recent memory,” Taylor said.

“It is an opportunity for the Australian team to re-establish itself among the elite countries in the women’s tennis.

“Our No.1 singles player, Sam (Stosur), will once again take on the role of team leader while Rennae (Stubbs), who is the longest serving member in Australian Fed Cup history, makes a strong doubles combination with Sam if it gets down to the fifth rubber.

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Defenging champion Vera Zvonareva was defeated by Australian Sam Stosur in straight sets 6-3, 7-5. With the win Stosur will most likely make it into the top ten when the rankings are updated. She becomes the first female Aussie player to make the elite group since Alica Molik reached #8 in February 2005, and Jelana Dokic reached #10 in February 2002.

Alica Molik, (another Aussie on the comeback trail) who entered the Indian Wells event with a wild card entry went down in a third set tie-breaker to Jie Zheng 3-6, 6-4, 6-7. Zheng who defeated Sharapova will move on to face the winner of the Petrova/Wozniacki match in the final eight.

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Alicia Molik has scored another impressive win in her comeback to professional tennis, beating German Tatjana Malek in the first round of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells on Thursday.

Molik turned in a dominant display against the world No.78, cruising through 6-1 6-3 in 63 minutes.

The Australian has now had four wins over top 100 players this year having already beaten Ekaterina Makarova at the Brisbane International, Sania Mirza at the Moorilla Hobart International and world No.20 Zheng Jie at the Dubai Open.

She will face Spain’s Anabel Medina Garrigues in the second round.

The news wasn’t as good for Jelena Dokic, who suffered a comprehensive 6-0 6-3 loss to Russian Vera Dushevina in 49 minutes.

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After both winning their first round singles matches, Alicia Molik and Jelena Dokic will play doubles together for the first time at the Moorilla Hobart International tomorrow night.

Molik has an impressive doubles history winning seven titles including two Grand Slams (2007 French Open and 2005 Australian Open) and was a finalist in nine others.

Her most recent title came at the Northern Territory Tennis International in September 2009 partnering fellow Australian Nicole Kriz.

Dokic has four doubles titles to her name and was a runner-up in six, including the 2001 French Open. Her most recent doubles performance was the 2009 French Open where she reached the second round partnering Alisa Kleybanova.

Both Molik and Dokic have represented Australia in doubles at Fed Cup ties.

“We only decided to play a couple of days ago and it’s good, we’re going to try to play after the Australian Open as well, some of the tournaments in Asia,” Dokic said today.

‘’She’s (Molik) a great doubles player, she’s won Grand Slams and mixed Grand Slams so it will be good for both of us because we need the matches. We’re both just coming back so we can both push each other.”

Molik and Dokic will meet Yung-Jan Chan and Monica Niculescu tomorrow night following the singles match between top seed Anabel Medina Garrigues and Alla Kudryavtseva.

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In her first WTA tournament since her surprise retirement, a shellshocked Molik was thrashed 6-0 6-3 in just 60 minutes by the merciless Kim Clijsters in their much-hyped second-round clash.

The 28-year-old Australian hope had been riding high following her gritty Brisbane International opening round win – her first WTA victory in two years since coming out of retirement.

In an organiser’s dream, Molik set up a quarterfinal qualifier with old chum Clijsters, another on the comeback trail.

But it quickly became a nightmare for former world No.8 Molik whose friendship with Clijsters clearly earned her no favours.

The world No.18 dominated from the outset, taking the first set in 25 minutes against her former doubles partner on her way to winning the first eight games.

Molik looked every bit the world No.198 alongside the 26-year-old, but did receive a roar from the crowd when she finally held her serve in the ninth game of the second set.

That sparked a mini-comeback by Molik who again held serve before breaking the Belgian she has known since the age of 14 in the sixth game to lock it up 3-3.

However, former world No.1 Clijsters was in no mood to tolerate a comeback, breaking back immediately – and for the fifth time overall – before finally closing out the match in an hour.

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