Two-time Grand Slam doubles champion Alicia Molik rushed to the aid of a collapsed ball girl during a live TV interview. Molik, 42, was in the midst of being unveiled as the new tournament director of the Adelaide International in her homeland of Australia.
Molik, who won the 2005 Australian Open and the 2007 French Open in doubles, was about to respond to her interviewer when onlookers gasped in shock as a ball girl fell to the ground behind her.
The former Olympic bronze medallist was first on the scene, rolling the girl onto her side and reassuring her until paramedics rushed in to help. She is now believed to be recovering in hospital.
Prior to the incident, Molik expressed her gratitude for landing a role with influence over tennis in Adelaide.
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“Tennis is part of my everyday DNA and to have the opportunity to be a part of a world-class tennis event in the city where I grew up is really something special,” she said.
“This is a chance for me to give back to the community that supported me throughout my on-court career and still to this day. The last decade with the Australian Billie Jean King Cup team has prepared me for this next challenge.
After retiring in 2011, the Aussie spent a decade leading her nation’s Billie Jean King Cup team. And although they fell in the group stages of this year’s tournament, Molik has spoken positively about the state of female tennis in Australia.
“In the last 10 years, we went from having a No.4 in the world in Sam Stosur to a No.1 in singles in Ash Barty, who started and finished her career under my tenure,” she said. “Now we have another [doubles] No.1 in Storm Hunter, and Ellen [Perez] has hit one of the highest points in her doubles career as well. It’s in an incredibly healthy spot.”
