The Hindu : Sport : Amelie Mauresmo triumphs

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Sunday, Jul 09, 2006

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Amelie Mauresmo triumphs

Nirmal Shekar

Silences those who question her nerve with a courageous fightback

London: It was a psychological leap of faith, nothing less.

And a ghost was finally laid to rest on the centre court at Wimbledon on Saturday. Amidst emotional scenes on the famous lawns as Amelie Mauresmo finally managed to slay the demon within to reach out for the Venus Rosewater Dish, it was a triumph of the spirit, and a rather popular one at that.

The most gifted serve-and-volleyer of her generation, one who had time and again suffered the ignominy of being stripped to her quivering self at the doorstep of success and glory in front of millions of fans, Mauresmo reinvented herself as a confident conqueror on the biggest stage of all.

Leaving behind a poor start, Mauresmo, the top seed, staged a gutsy comeback and underlined her new-found character trait as a ravenous competitor in getting past the toughest active player in the women's game, Justine Henin-Hardenne of Belgium 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the final of the 120th Wimbledon championships.

Mauresmo is the first Frenchwoman to win the title here since the legendary Suzanne Lenglen in 1925. It was also her second defeat of Henin-Hardenne in Slam finals this year, following the success in Melbourne last January.

There was a slight bitter taste to that triumph as Henin-Hardenne, suffering from stomach cramps, retired early in the second set. In the event, the big question still remained: can Mauresmo close out a Grand Slam final?

The 27-year old Frenchwoman answered that question as well as she could have on Saturday and then said, "I don't want anybody to talk about my nerves anymore.''

Surely, no one will. Instead, they will talk about her resourcefulness, tenacity and grace under pressure.

"I had a great two weeks," said Mauresmo. "This trophy is very special.'' The Frenchwoman's tennis was very special too. Serving and volleying with great confidence, she not only came back from a first set drubbing but also seized the initiative early in the decider and never looked back.

"She played better than me today. She was just too good,'' said Henin-Hardenne after losing a final here for the second time. She was beaten in the 2001 final by Venus Williams.

Off to a good start

Earlier, Henin-Hardenne started as if she was keen on getting her hands on the Venus Rosewater Dish in quick time and then catching the early evening flight home as she raced through the first set in only 31 minutes.

With a picturesque blend of crisp volleys, blistering passes and well directed serves, the Belgian was very much in command. For someone who is under 5ft 6in, Henin-Hardenne covers the net remarkably well. Aggressive as an attack dog, she stepped in on Mauresmo's second serves and broke the Frenchwoman twice, in the first and seventh games.

Recovers

Mauresmo, for her part, made a typically tremulous start but recovered courageously to play herself back into the match early in the second set even as Henin-Hardenne's searing intensity appeared to be dimming a bit.

Perhaps the ease with which she pocketed the first set instilled in the French Open champion a false sense of invincibility. Whatever it was, the third seed lost her way on a windy afternoon.

The top seeded Frenchwoman took advantage of a double fault from Henin-Hardenne and broke to 2-0 and was always in charge as she came within a point of going 4-0 up.

Although Henin-Hardenne broke back to 3-4, Mauresmo, in her new avatar as a nerveless confident performer on the big stage, hit back immediately.

The Australian Open champion broke to 5-3 with a breathtaking forehand pass and staved off three breakpoints before serving out the set with her fourth ace in the next game.

Now, there was a spring in Mauresmo's step. Intensely focussed, the athletic serve-and-volleyer attacked relentlessly and was unrecognisable as the competitor who, for a long time in her career, would shrink away from taking control of matches at the business end of Grand Slam championships.

In style

In the event, Mauresmo broke to 2-1 in the decider and then came within a point of snatching a second break before Henin-Hardenne dug in to hold to 2-3. Then, finally, when her turn came to serve for the championship, the Frenchwoman did that in style, winning the final on her first championship point — a Henin-Hardenne forehand failing to cross the net.

For several years, every time the door opened for her, Mauresmo, instead of stepping in to embrace glory, would nervously slam it shut on her own face. But, at last, on a lovely summer afternoon on Saturday, the gifted Frenchwoman summoned the courage to make that one last step.

Allez Amelie.

THE RESULTS

Men's singles (semifinals): Rafael Nadal (Esp) bt Marcos Baghdatis (Cyp) 6-1, 7-5, 6-3.

Men's doubles (semifinals): Bob Bryan / Mike Bryan (U.S.) bt Mark Knowles (Bah) / Daniel Nestor (Can) 6-4, 6-7(3), 7-6(3), 6-1; Fabrice Santoro (Fra) / Nenad Zimonjic (SCG) bt Martin Damm (Cze) / Leander Paes (Ind) 6-2, 6-1, 7-5.

Women's doubles (semifinals): Yan Zi / Zheng Jie (Chn) bt Cara Black (Zim) / Rennae Stubbs (Aus) 6-2, 7-6(3).

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