![]() ![]() “I was thinking about the trophy all morning, and then I got my hands on it. “Now that I see all the names on the trophy, and my name is on there – Wow! That’s not so bad,” Mauresmo said. But she got through three-set tests against major champions in the quarterfinals (Anastasia Myskina) and semifinals (Maria Sharapova) at Wimbledon, before denying Henin-Hardenne’s bid to complete a career Grand Slam. In January, Mauresmo’s Australian semifinal ended when her opponent stopped because of an injury, and then came the anticlimactic final, so the issue of her fragile mental state lingered. Mauresmo reached the 1999 Australian Open final, then didn’t get that far at a Slam until the same place this year. 1 in the rankings in 2004, she was only the second woman to do so without having won a major. Mauresmo willingly dissected and discussed her problems dealing with pressure, acknowledging it as a factor in her 13 losses in quarterfinals or semifinals at Grand Slams. If the former wasn’t the case until Saturday afternoon, the latter has been for quite some time. Later, she donned a T-shirt made by her sponsor, reading: “2006 Wimbledon Champion. She couldn’t stop smiling as she clutched the champion’s plate, as she climbed through the stands to hug her coach and supporters, as she addressed the audience, as she posed for photos, as she walked off the court with a wave. “Now I had this final moment, especially this final point.” “The way it ended is different,” the top-ranked Mauresmo said. This was a rematch of the Australian Open final in January, when Henin-Hardenne quit in the second set with stomach problems, denying Mauresmo a chance to feel what it’s like to earn a championship and leading to some ill feelings between the women. “I don’t want anyone,” Mauresmo said, “to talk about my nerves anymore.” Holding her serve and her nerve down the stretch, Mauresmo came back to beat Justine Henin-Hardenne 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Saturday to win Wimbledon for her second Grand Slam title – and first that she got to celebrate properly. Then Mauresmo straightened up and gave herself a little talking-to, deciding that this was the moment to cast off the burden of being known as a player who couldn’t come through when it counted. Lindsay Davenport and Serena Williams were among those who welcomed her return to the circuit as a positive step forward for women's tennis.WIMBLEDON, England – Amelie Mauresmo sank into her chair after losing the first set of the Wimbledon final and buried her face in a towel. It was Martina Hingis' first grand slam event in her comeback to the game. The women's tournament had no absentees among the top 20 ranked players. ![]() Several leading men's players declined to attend the Open due to injury, including Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal and defending champion Marat Safin. It began Henin-Hardenne's run of reaching the final of all four Grand Slam events, winning the French Open. Amélie Mauresmo won her first Australian Open title, defeating 2004 champion Justine Henin in the final Henin-Hardenne was forced to retire at 1–6, 0–2 down due to a stomach virus. Serena Williams was unsuccessful in defending her 2005 title, losing in the third round against Daniela Hantuchová. Roger Federer won his second Australian Open title, defeating Marcos Baghdatis in the final in four sets. Marat Safin could not defend his 2005 title, due to an injury he suffered in late 2005. The 2006 Australian Open was played between 16 and 29 January 2006. Tim Henman and Dmitry Tursunov playing on the Margaret Court Arena in the first round. Sharon Fichman / Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
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