They are destined to be essentially the most iconic clothes in ladies’s sport – and Australia’s finest tennis gamers are decided to be sporting them subsequent 12 months.
There had been a couple of envious glances from Alicia Molik and her crew in Glasgow as they watched the nice Billie Jean King current elegant blue jackets to their BJK Cup ultimate conquerors Switzerland on Sunday.
They had been the primary world champions ever to be awarded the ‘Billie Blue’ jackets, full with an inscribed message from King within the lining.
“I want it to be as iconic as the Masters winner’s green jacket. Only the winning team and its coaches will ever get one of these each year,” the 78-year King mentioned earlier than dressing the victors.
An emotional Jil Teichmann, whose win over Storm Sanders set the Swiss on the best way to their triumph, mentioned, “As Billie says, ‘pressure is a privilege’, but this jacket is a privilege as well.
“We are the primary ones and it is all the time going to be like that. It’s simply very, very particular.”
So special that Molik, after seeing her team reach the semi-final last year and the final this time around, wants 2023 to be the year the Australians claim their own ‘Billie Blues’.
“That’s the plan,” she said. “Winning it? Well, it could be good, would not it? We’ve obtained blue in our flag – so it is most likely inevitable at some stage.”
But will that time come sooner, rather than later?
The good news was that Australia’s team punched above its collective weight to reach the final, with Sanders a revelation.
But when it came to the biggest fight, they could not lay a glove on proper heavyweights as they lost a 10th final since last winning in 1974.
Australia’s No.1 Ajla Tomljanovic kept faith in the future despite being steamrolled 6-2 6-1 by Switzerland’s imperious Belinda Bencic.
“It simply wasn’t meant to be for me as we speak,” she mentioned.
“It stinks – however this crew has a lot potential. I do imagine we’re going to get the massive one in some unspecified time in the future.”
So does Molik, proud at how the understudies keep showing why there is life in Aussie women’s tennis after Ash Barty.
“We need to get again to a different ultimate,” she said. “We’ve had two finals in 4 years and you must hold chipping away, you’ll be able to’t be despondent.
“Every year our level grows and every year we play great tennis in this format. So we’ll learn from this, we’ll return next year and we’ll be even hungrier, no doubt about that.”
