Amelie Mauresmo

Amelie Mauresmo Biography

Amelie Mauresmo is a French professional tennis player. Mauresmo was ranked number one in the world for five weeks in 2004, becoming the first French woman to hold that position since the era of computer rankings began in 1975. As of 20 March 2006, she is the current women's World No. 1. The same year, she become Wimbledon singles champion. Actually, Amelie Mauresmo won both the Australian Open and Wimbledon tennis tournaments in 2006.

Interesting facts about Amelie Mauresmo:

Born: 5 July 1979
Birthplace: St. Germains en Laye, France.
Mauresmo decided to play tennis at the age of 4 (she watches the 1983 French Open final between Yannick Noah and Mats Wilander with her parents).
She was named 1996 Junior World Champion by the International Tennis Federation.
She won the silver medal at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.
Mauresmo is right-handed.
Favourite things: surfing, tea, hot chocolate, playing solitaire...

Amélie plays small professional tournaments with $10 000 prizes. In 1995, the FFT offers her spot in the qualifying round at the French Open. Amélie is only ranked around 175th in the WTA standings, but she still manages to defeat three players in the top 120 in the world, and earns her spot in the draw. A dream come true!

Amelie Mauresmo Career

Amelie Mauresmo Mauresmo rapidly climbed into the top ten in WTA rankings, and began to win significant events on the women's tour.

During the 1999 Australian Open, Amelie achieves world-class status, and becomes a celebrity in France.In the semi-final against the newly crowned No.1 player, Lindsay Davenport, Amelie clenches a historic 7-5 third set win. But in the final, Martina Hingis proves to be too much.

The year 2000 starts off with a bang. Amelie dominates in Sydney over Pierce and Hingis, and Davenport in the finals in two short sets. After the Open Gaz de France in February, Amelie decides to work with Alexia Dechaume-Balleret who had recently retired.

Ranked 16th at the beginning of 2001, Amélie quickly regains her health and a game worthy of her ranking. She wins four tournaments: Paris, Nice, Amelia Island and Berlin.

The 2002 season is a good one for Amelie, and she wins two titles, one in Dubai and the other in Montreal. Amelie reaches six semi-finals, including Wimbledon and the US Open.

In 2003, Amelie does not compete until the Open Gaz de France, where she reaches the final. She dominates in Warsaw and Philadelphia, and reaches the finals in four tournaments, including the Masters in Los Angeles. That same year, Amelie Mauresmo wins eight singles Fed Cup matches and is a key player in the French win over the United States.

The year 2004 is an unforgettable one for Amelie Mauresmo. Not only does she win five titles, but she also becomes the first French women’s tennis player to become World No.1

In 2005 she claimed her first WTA Tour Championships, her most important win to that point of her career. In the final, she rebounded from a first-set loss to defeat Mary Pierce.

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. Mauresmo then won her next two tournaments, the Paris Indoor (defeating Pierce in the final) and the Proximus Diamond Games, in Antwerp (winning the final against Clijsters). In the Qatar Total Open, she defeated Martina Hingis in the semi-final, but lost to Nadia Petrova in the final.

Official website: Amelie Mauresmo