Wimbledon 2006 Biography: Amelie Mauresmo
You know, when I first saw Amelie Mauresmo a few years back after she turned professional, I said to myself, ‘Jeez, that’s a pretty big girl there. She may be destined for some big things before she’s through.’
Well, I’d say the French-born Mauresmo, the World’s No. 1 ranked female tennis player – and number one seed for the 2006 Wimbledon, has accomplished quite a bit over the years – although I must admit that her resume could certainly stand another Grand Slam victory or two.
Mauresmo first attained the top ranking in September of 2004, holding it for five weeks on that occasion. Mauresmo is well-known for her powerful one-handed backhand (a rarity in women’s tennis these days). However, Mauresmo also has the uninspiring distinction of being one of the few players to reach the top spot without first winning a Grand Slam singles event. Other notable players who accomplished the feat include did s Belgian, Kim Clijsters, who ascended to the top spot in 2003, two years before winning her first Grand Slam singles title at the 2005 US Open, and Ivan Lendl, who first reached number 1 in 1983, before winning any of his eight Grand Slam singles titles.
Before 2006, Mauresmo was considered the best player on the Women’s Tennis Association tour not yet to have claimed a Grand Slam singles title. As a result of her victory in the 2006 Australian Open, there is now no women’s singles World No. 1 player, past or present, without a Grand Slam championship.
In 1996, Mauresmo captured both the Junior French Open and Wimbledon titles and was named the 1996 Junior World Champion by the International Tennis Federation. In 1999, the then unseeded Mauresmo reached the Australian Open final with wins over three seeds (including world No. 1 Lindsay Davenport), before falling to world No. 2 Martina Hingis, who after the final infamously called Mauresmo, who is a lesbian, “half a man.”
Mauresmo rapidly climbed into the top ten in WTA rankings, and began to win significant events on the women’s tour as we moved into the new millennium. In 2003, she was the leading player in a team that captured the Fed Cup for France. Mauresmo also captured a silver medal at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, where she was defeated by Belgian Justine Henin-Hardenne in the women’s singles final.
On September 13, 2004 she became the first French tennis player to become number one since computer rankings began in the 1970s. She held that ranking for five weeks, and has maintained rankings in the top five ever since.In 2005 she claimed her first WTA Tour Championships, her most important win to that point of her career.
At the 2006 Australian Open, Mauresmo finally captured her first Grand Slam singles title by defeating both Belgian former World No. 1 players, Kim Clijsters, and Justine Henin-Hardenne, in the semi-final and final respectively, due to both of her opponents retiring with injury or illness. To Mauresmo’s credit she was leading, and controlling the tempo and flow of both matches, before her opponents retired. Mauresmo then won her next two tournaments as well.
Mauresmo has been quoted in the media responding as follows: “Getting back to No.1 is a wonderful feeling. I’ve had some great results in the past few months, from winning the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Championships to the Australian Open. There have been a lot of memorable moments for me recently, and being No.1 again is another one.”
As of late March 2006, Mauresmo had won a Tour-leading three tournaments this season, with wins in 19 of her 22 matches. This includes a 16-match winning streak that began at the Australian Open and ended in the Dubai tournament.
Mauresmo mat noy have the name recognition here in the U.S. of some other well-know tennis players, but she certainly has to be considered one of the favorites for this year’s Wimbledon title – and in all likelyhood – many more to come as well.
