Amélie Mauresmo

Amelie Rules!

July 15th, 2006– Even though she came in as world number one and top seed of the event, Amelie Mauresmo was just one name amongst a long list of contenders for thee Wimbledon title. But her phenomenal play, perfectly adapted to grass, gave her the chance to come back from one set down to defeat Belgian Justine Henin-Hardenne 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, capturing her second career Grand Slam title.

After reaching her first Grand Slam final at the 1999 Australian Open against Martina Hingis, Mauresmo had to wait seven long years before getting another chance to play on that big stage. She finally got that chance in January, again in Australia, were she won her first major with a victory over Henin-Hardenne. But many people were hesitant to give her the status of a “real” champion because they claimed her win was tainted by her opponent retiring at the start of the second set due to stomach pains. Condemned to win by the French press, Mauresmo was carrying a mountain on her shoulders when she entered Roland-Garros, on her home soil, and suffered an early exit. It didn’t take much more for her detractors to resurface and argue she didn’t have what it takes to earn a “real” Grand Slam title.

At Wimbledon, Mauresmo silenced her critics for good by storming through the draw thus eliminating Myskina (9th) in the quarterfinals, Sharapova (4th) in the semifinals and Henin-Hardenne in the final. Prior to the tournament, she even said she really enjoyed playing on grass, “a surface well suited for her game” had she humbly declared. Unfortunately for them, Anastasia, Maria and Justine had to find that out the hard way...

Not more than a month ago, Mauresmo’s ability to win crucial matches was still being questionned. Today, she finds herself in the company of the legendary Suzanne Lenglen, the only other Frenchwoman to capture the title at Wimbledon, in 1925.

Wimbledon’s 2006 edition has litterally been Amelie’s consecration. She has now won two of three 2006 Grand Slam titles and sits confortably at the top of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour rankings, position she will likely hold until her participation to the
Rogers Cup presented by National Bank held in Montreal August 12-20.

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