WTA-Tour
"Player of the week" (Oct 19 - 26 1998)

With her relaxed manner and quick wit, Amélie Mauresmo (FRA) is like a breath of fresh air when she struts into a room. While she possesses the confidence of her teenage counterparts on the professional tennis circuit, Mauresmo is as quick to target herself as others with her sarcasm. It is difficult to have a conversation with Amélie without being interrupted by the familiar jingle of her ever present mobile phone. If cell phones were not frowned upon in tennis stadiums worldwide, many a match would be interrupted by Mauresmo dancing a little jig to the tune of her phone. This kid is all action while at the same time self-admittedly lazy. She detests the rigors of off-court training, much preferring the speed of downhill skiing, go-carts and horseback riding. Young and carefree, Mauresmo hopes to open a sports café in Paris after the close of her tennis career. True to her nature, she does not wish to get involved with the daily tribulations of such an undertaking, preferring to work the crowd. Hardly bashful, Amélie would love to try her hand at tending bar in her future café, a la Tom Cruise in the hit movie Cocktails. "You know the way he tosses the bottles around and puts on a show when he mixes a drink, that's going to be me! The only problem is I'll probably lose a lot of money with all the alcohol that will end up on the floor." Karine Quentric-Eagle, a former tennis professional who is Amélie's mentor on the Tour, jokes; "With Amélie behind the bar, after one cocktail, you're dead!"Nineteen year-old Amélie demonstrated the vast potential of her tennis talents in May, 1998 when she marched thru the qualifying event to reach the final of the German Open, a Tier I event in Berlin. Ranked No. 65 at the time, she ousted world No. 2 Lindsay Davenport, No. 3 Jana Novotna, and No. 14 Dominique Van Roost en route to her first-ever singles final on the COREL WTA TOUR. Mauresmo's ranking and confidence has virtually blossomed since. She is currently enjoying a career-high ranking of No. 30 in the world and has been nominated for the 1998 COREL WTA TOUR Newcomer of the Year award.

Mauresmo began playing tennis at the age of six, inspired by the success of Yannick Noah when he captured the title at the Roland Garros. It was an incredible honor when Noah personally picked Amélie to compete on the 1998 French Fed Cup team. At age seventeen Amélie was named the 1996 Junior World Champion by the International Tennis Federation after capturing the Junior French Open and Wimbledon titles. Dominant on the junior circuit, Mauresmo found the transition to the COREL WTA TOUR a difficult one. No longer could she rely solely on her talent to win matches. She floundered for several months while she sought direction for her natural ability. She found the person to guide her in Warwick Bashford, a coach from South Africa now living in France. The decision to part with the coaching system of the French Federation was a difficult one which proved a source of additional pressure for the teenager. Suddenly the support system disappeared and Mauresmo felt the Federation believed it was only a matter of time before she failed and came back into their fold. Bashford saw the talent in Mauresmo immediately and sought to install in her the willingness to make the necessary commitment both on and off the court. After some poor results the young lady from Bornel, France decided it was time for a change. She is no longer content to park herself on the baseline and bang away. She is learning to take the ball earlier and to be more aggressive in finishing the point.