Stylish Mauresmo Delighted With Win - 法網 Tennis

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Stylish Mauresmo Delighted With Win
Saturday, 8 July, 2006

Amelie Mauresmo strolled into the press conference after her title-winning
Wimbledon final sporting a T-shirt with the slogan "2006 Wimbledon
champion: I am what I am".

What she was right at that moment was a woman totally assured with her
place in the world.

The T-shirt, she explained, had been prepared in advance by her sponsor -
as a sign of their confidence in her. And, as she revealed, her own
confidence that she was destined to join the roll of honour at a
Championships she described as "the most prestigious in the world" was
key to her success in beating Justine Henin-Hardenne.

She said: "There were some tough moments but I always thought I could
make it."

That confidence did not even take a knock when she went a set down in
the final against the Belgian. Mauresmo said: "My serve and volley was
not working and I was missing quite a few volleys.

"You feel like 'OK, what do I need to do? What am I going to do? How am
I going to change things around? How am I going to make it go my way?'

"Then I was really able to pump myself up right from the beginning of
the second set. And then a totally different match started."

Asked about special moments she would savour from the final, Mauresmo
nominated her serving in the last game. "Two aces on key moments, that's
always very nice and very comfortable to feel and to think that you can
rely on this big weapon which a couple of days ago did not work so well
in the middle of the match. But then today I was able really to come up
with probably my best service games in the last set. So that made life
a little bit easier in the last game.

"I was a little bit nervous on the match point which is probably
understandable. But I was really focusing on the game, on what I had
to do, on my serve, on my volley. That was about it."

That strong finish ensured that the Wimbledon title was hers for the
first time. When Henin-Hardenne netted on Championship point, Mauresmo
dropped to her knees with joy. However, the Frenchwoman admits it hasn't
sunk in yet that she's the 2006 Wimbledon Champion.

"I still can't believe it," she said. "I did not really expect coming
here, I wasn't feeling great. But then all of a sudden everything came
together.

"It feels great. It's the most prestigious tournament in the world and
it really is a special moment for me."

Written by Barry Newcombe

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