Ellen Perez, Australia’s highest-ranked WTA doubles participant, is feeling buoyant in regards to the host nation’s prospects on the Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers spherical in Brisbane.
Brisbane, QLD, Australia, 8 April 2025 | Matt Trollope
Ellen Perez revealed that, like most Australian gamers, she had marked this week’s Billie Jean King Cup competitors in her calendar when mapping out her 2025 taking part in schedule.
When affirmation of her choice arrived in March, Australia’s top-ranked girls’s doubles participant was thrilled on the prospect of embarking on her eighth tie within the worldwide groups competitors.
“Any time we play for Australia, it’s an enormous occasion,” Perez stated on this week’s episode of The Sit-Down podcast.
LISTEN: Ellen Perez on The Sit-Down
“The time that we will put the green-and-gold on, it’s the most important occasion we’ve got in Australia for tennis, moreover clearly the Australian Open – it’s a time the place it’s a group sport and we’re taking part in for one thing larger than ourselves.
“I feel it’s a unique surroundings too. It’s not just like the Australian Open; you’ve received everybody within the stands, just about, hopefully sided for Australia, however then there’s the opposing aspect – you could have typically nations deliver large crowds and cheer squads, and that environment is sort of unmatched.
“I feel it’s one thing price seeing for those who haven’t earlier than. There’s nothing higher than getting behind your nation.”
TICKETS: Get tickets to the Billie Jean King Cup by way of Ticketmaster
TIE INFORMATION: Australia – Colombia – Kazakhstan
OFFICIAL PROGRAM: Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers (AUS-COL-KAZ)
Perez has been making ready for the Billie Jean King Qualifier, by which Australia faces Kazakhstan and Colombia, on the Queensland Tennis Centre since Saturday.
She flew to Brisbane final week after a coaching interval in Melbourne, the place she was joined on court docket by teammate Storm Hunter – a possible doubles pairing when the motion will get underway this Thursday.
“I really received a shock further week of coaching in right here [in Melbourne],” stated Perez, the doubles world No.20 who already has a WTA title below her belt in 2025.
“Clearly didn’t do as effectively in Miami as I’d like, however that meant I might come house early and actually get again onto the laborious court docket and start preparations.
“I’m tremendous shut with all these ladies [in the Australian team]. I feel [Maya Joint has] simply grown over the past couple of months, and she or he’s taking part in wonderful. And Kim [Birrell], she’s actually hit her stride, she’s taking part in tremendous effectively. You’ve received the expertise with Ajla [Tomljanovic] and even Storm, she’s somebody who completely rises to the event at each Billie Jean King Cup.
RELATED: Tomljanovic higher for Billie Jean King Cup expertise
“So it’s nice to get again on court docket with them, and all these ladies have an incredible angle and persona.”
Perez, at age 29, is among the many extra skilled gamers within the Aussie squad, together with Hunter (30) and Tomljanovic (31).
However on the reverse finish of the expertise spectrum are youngsters Joint and Emerson Jones, the Australian group’s Orange Woman this week in Brisbane.
That age vary, plus expertise and outcomes throughout each the singles and doubles disciplines – Perez and Hunter are each former top-10 doubles gamers, Tomljanovic is a three-time main quarterfinalist in singles, and Birrell and Joint have hit singles career-high rankings in 2025 – leaves Perez feeling buoyed about Australia’s prospects, each this week in Brisbane and past.
READ MORE: Birrell thrilled to “smash by” prime 100 aim
STORM HUNTER: Hitting effectively, feeling good, assembly objectives
“I feel we’re in an excellent place with Australian girls’s tennis,” she stated.
“We perhaps don’t have that individual on the very, very prime, like we did after we had Ash Barty, however I feel we’re actually on that pattern to rising and coming by collectively; I feel proper now we’ve got perhaps 4 or 5 Aussies within the prime 100, which is wonderful to see.
“The depth is getting rather a lot stronger. And we positively have a really younger group – I feel there’s loads of room to develop. Perhaps there have been some years after we lacked a little bit of depth, however I feel we’re in a very good place proper now and all of us have sort of come by collectively, so we’re actually shut.
“And we do have that have on each side, the singles and the doubles, so I feel that’s tremendous necessary in a format like this, to have myself and Storm, who each play actually good doubles, and any a type of ladies within the singles know tips on how to play nice doubles, too, and do their factor within the singles.
“So I’m trying ahead to it – I feel we’re in a very good place and actually comfortable.”
Australia faces Kazakhstan on 10 April and Colombia on 12 April at Pat Rafter Area. Get your tickets by way of Ticketmaster and comply with the motion on 9Gem and 9Now.
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