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May/16

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Biofile: Amelie Mauresmo Interview

P1010727By Scoop Malinowski

She was just three-years-old when the passion and flare of Yannick Noah inspired her to pursue the sport of grace. Over two decades later, Amelie Mauresmo has reached the pinnacle of tennis. After failing in her first 31 Grand Slam appearances, the 27-year-old French woman finally experienced the elusive thrill of victory in 2006 with her memorable triumphs in Melbourne and The All England Lawn & Tennis Club. The 2004 Olympic silver medalist and current WTA’s number one ranked player reflected on life and career:

Status: Former WTA number one rated tennis player. Winner of 2006 Australian Open and Wimbledon singles titles along with 21 other WTA career singles titles.
Ht: 5-9 Wt: 152
DOB: July 5, 1979 In: St. Germaines En Laye, France
Childhood Heroes: “I liked, I watched Yannick Noah. That’s why I started to play tennis. And then, while I was a little bit older I think I liked to watch Sabatini and Graf. This period was a good inspiration for me.”
Hobbies/Interests: “I like to ski. I like to surf. I like red wine [smiles]. I like many different things, you know, I like go-carts, horseback riding. I like to enjoy nice dinner with my friends and family. Card games with Sebastien Grosjean and Arnaud Clement. They can last for hours, in a really tense atmosphere. We tease each other a lot and we all try to cheat [laughs]. I enjoy playing Scrabble too.”
Favorite Movies: “Not really a favorite movie. I’m not too much into a movie, sorry [laughs].”
Musical Tastes: “What do I listen to right now? Nelly Furtado, Robbie Williams, Dido, yeah those kinds.”
Early Tennis Memory: “Well, to me, the image I have in mind is really Noah winning the French Open in ’83. That’s really what I think made me play tennis. And it’s still what I have in my mind. Maybe because I saw it so many times after [smiles] — they show it all the time in France after. But that’s the image. It’s not me, it’s someone else.”
Pre-Match Feeling: “Well, sometimes you think about the game. Sometimes you’re a little bit tight — you want to just let it out, so you just start to breathe or really get physically into it, so you can start to sweat a little bit and let it out.”
Favorite Meal: “I like Indian food.”
First Car: “Peugeot 106, green.”
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Chocolate.”
Greatest Career Moment: “Winning Wimbledon.”
Most Painful Moment: “Probably at the French Open when I lost first round a few years ago (to Jana Kandarr in 2001).
Worst Injury: “Was undoubtedly my knee at the end of 2002, because I didn’t know if I could play again.”
Closest Tennis Friends: “It’s tough — all the French. I’m really good friends with all the French, guys and girls.”
Funniest Player Encountered: “Arnaud Clement [laughs].”
Toughest Competitors: “Fiercest…I think probably the most competitive are maybe Justine and Maria.”
Favorite Tournament: “Rome. Because I always spend terrific moments there. And I’m not even talking about the food [smiles].”
Embarrassing Tennis Memory: “No.”
On Winning Her First Major in Melbourne: “I think the three main things in the game — tennis, physical and mental — all these three really came together here. When I went on the court I was ready for anything, for everything. I didn’t know how it was going to go. I just knew I had to focus on my game and really try to have the emotional part of the moment really on the side, which I did very well. I knew exactly what I had to do walking out on the court against Justine. And overall I was pretty relaxed. So I think everything really came together for that first set. I was ready to die on the court. That’s just the way I was coming out on the court.”
The Best I Ever Felt On Court: “Probably I’d say the first set against Myskina in Wimbledon this year (61 36 63 in QF). Couldn’t miss. The final of the Championship probably (d. Henin 26 63 64). I have a few good examples. The first set in Australia against Henin was good too. I was controlling the game pretty well.”
People Qualities Most Admired: “Generosity — that’s the main thing. From the heart and everything.”

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3 comments

  • Dan Markowitz · May 9, 2016 at 10:44 am

    This is one of your best, bio-files. I love her responses. She obviously is living life large, skiing, surfing, go-carts, horseback riding, and Indian food and card games. Sounds like a lot of fun and she was a nice player to watch play, one-hander, although I found her a little boring with not so much emotion on the court, but she was one of the best women athletes to play the game.

  • Moskova Moskova · May 9, 2016 at 11:18 am

    gona get chicken tikka for lunch soon lol

    what are some of your favorite indian dishes ?

  • Moskova Moskova · May 9, 2016 at 12:58 pm

    down goes mauresmo !

    murray gives her the boot after (2 yrs) + recent loss to djoko lol

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