Amelie Mauresmo – Australian Open Women's Tennis Players
Amelie Mauresmo has never really successfully managed to quieten those nerves, which have robbed her of many a Grand Slam title. Before her only two big match wins, Mauresmo was known as "the greatest women's player never to win a Grand Slam".
Can she calm herself sufficiently to add the 2009 Australian Open women's title to her success of 2006? Many will say that she was never challenged for her win in 2006. Her opponent, Justine Henin retired due to stomach cramps. Mauresmo will claim that she was leading in the match when Henin walked off the court.
Ironically, the only other Grand Slam title she has lifted was in the same year as her Australian success. She was crowned "Queen of Grass" when she took the women's singles at Wimbledon 2006. This time she proved without a doubt that she was indeed worthy of her Grand Slam title when she came back from a miserable first set to beat old rival, Justine Henin 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.
The former world no.1 had a very successful start to her Australian Open campaign. In 1999 the unseeded Frenchwomen reached the final by beating three of the top seeds, including Lindsay Davenport. She was beaten in the final by world no.2, Martina Hingis.
The 19-year-old became the second Frenchwoman, after Mary Pierce, to reach the Australian Open final since 1922.
In 2003 she began her move up the rankings, and with her success at the Fed Cup, she quickly moved into the Top Ten. She has won more Fed Cup singles matches than any other French player. 2004 saw her languishing at the number one spot for five weeks.
She undoubtedly has talent, but has never fired in front of her home crowd. In 2005 the world no.1 was knocked out of the French Open in the fourth round by Czech teenager, Nicole Vaidisova. The unforgiving Court Phillippe Chatrier crowd bayed for her blood!
At the 2006 US Open, Mauresmo reached the semifinals, only to be beaten by Maria Sharapova 6-0, 4-6, 6-0, making her the first female semifinalist to have lost two sets to love. She clearly did not have the big match temperament needed to become a top Australian Open women's tennis player.
The year 2007 has been a mixed bag for the potential star. She was presented with the "Chevalier of the Legion d'honneur" by French President Jacques Chirac, and she lifted a diamond encrusted racquet, valued at US1.3 million, for her third consecutive title win at the Proximus Diamond Games in Antwerp.
However, she was knocked out of the Australian Open in round 4, was defeated at the French Open in round 3 and lost again in the 4th round at Wimbledon. She withdrew from the US Open due to lack of fitness.
She also lost out at the 2008 Australian Open in the third round 3–6, 6–4, 6–4. to Casey Dellacqua. Her losing streak continued throughout 2008, she reached the semifinals of the Pilot Pen Tennis Tournament, hinting at her possible success at the 2008 US Open, where she unfortunately fell to Flavia Pennetta in the fourth round.
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