Issue link: http://itf.uberflip.com/i/699819
120 I remember winning the bronze medal and feeling like it was one of the best moments in my entire career. I remember the build-up to that particular match. There were a lot of hot, 40-degree, late-afternoon Athens days... and reaching that stage with really exceptionally tough conditions, I felt like I melted into the court. It was really emotional at the same time. I don't really cry after matches but everyone around me – the support team – were happy, elated, in tears. I will never forget stepping on the podium because it was next to two of the greats in tennis of all time in my opinion – Justine Henin and Amelie Mauresmo, two players who I looked up to and enjoyed challenging on the court. Justine winning gold and Amelie winning silver and myself bronze, it was an incredible, incredible moment – one that you dream of as a kid but one that you never think is achievable. So I look at those photos and I really enjoyed doing that. You are on the court by yourself, but you are in your nation's colours, you're representing a country that you're proud of, that has given you so much, you are part of a wider team. As a tennis player that is something that you crave, or I know that I always did. I loved team sport, and it is not often during the year when you have that platform to play for so much more than just yourself and your own accolades. It is incredible, and it helped lift me. You feed off the energy of the wider Australian team and other sports. I was disappointed that I didn't win my match to try for the silver but it [the bronze medal match] was another bite of the cherry and I was so determined and so hungry. I remember reaching the point that I knew I needed to go for it, I knew I needed to play with conviction, I knew I had to lay absolutely everything on the line. It was another chance, which was quite special in itself. I often speak in glowing terms of not just my bronze medal but of representing my nation. It is also something that I try to impart to a lot of tennis players that I have contact with – to really embrace and enjoy the opportunities when you play in a team, and that when you have teammates around you, that is sometimes when your best performance comes out, which certainly was the case with me during that Olympics. It was one of the proudest moments in my life. I think people recognise that you have achieved something pretty special. It is certainly not prevalent all the time or something that you always notice, but at certain times when performances or achievements are mentioned I guess it is a point of difference. Everyone knows what the Olympic Games are. One of the happiest moments of my life was bringing the medal home and being able to show mum and dad and put it around my grandma's neck. Grandma never watched me play a single game of tennis in my life. I don't think she watched me play in the Olympics either, but being able to put that medal around her neck in her in home in Royal Park in Adelaide was pretty special. I love looking at that photo. ATHENS 2004 WOMEN'S SINGLES BRONZE I knew I had to lay absolutely everything on the line. It was another chance, which was quite special in itself. Alicia Molik Alicia Molik