The Amélie Comeback Mystery

When will it happen? In Beijing as she said? In the European indoor season? Next year? Never?

At this point I hope everyone starts believing she is retiring from the sport so she'll want to prove them wrong. If anything, that alone will motivate her.

In my heart, I know she is not done. But it might also be one whole lot of wishful thinking on my part. :P

Amélie's cruise

What kind of ship do you think she sailed away with?

Classic cruise ship...


Luxurious yacht...


Or sporty one?


And I wonder if faithful SF *G* is accompanying her?!?! *devil* (who guesses what "SF" stands for wins G-stalker of the month award... LOL)

Probably Tiger Woods invited her on his yacht! (LMAO at this photo)


EDIT: daantje suggested she went on an Olivia cruise ROFLMAO LOL LOL LOL

Amélie out on the sea....

... in good company. YAY!

I know it's an old photo but I'm afraid it would take the fiercest paparazzis to have fresh photos of her for a while.
So while we begin our longest hour... does anyone know who the girl is?

(Huge thanks KJ for the picture and your reliably useless questioning... ;) *hugs* )

If Bartoli wins Wimbledon...

... Amélie won't be the only other French player to win it after Suzanne Lenglen.

Intra-French competition has always been a great motivation for her.
She broke through after Mary's great year, and won her first "major" against Mary.

If Bartoli wins, that will wake her up.


Re: Bartoli - *eek*
I just finished watching the third set and she played amazing! She looked over-Redbulled and I have no idea how she'll fall asleep tonight, though. I may be wrong, but I think one of the reasons she is able to take the ball so early is that she never has to change her grip from forehand to backhand and viceversa. I mean she doesn't even have to add one hand. She looked like vintage Agassi! Well done. Now finish the job.

New Interview

Tough 6 Months in the Past for Former No. 1 Mauresmo at Wimbledon

by Richard Vach

Coming off a 2006 year when she won two Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, the first six months of 2007 have been difficult for former world No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo. Through a combination of injuries and health issues, the Frenchwoman has failed to surpass the fourth round at her first two Slams of the year.

Scheduled as the top seed at the Bausch & Lomb Championships in Amelia Island, Mauresmo was forced to withdraw from the event with an emergency appendectomy which stalled her claycourt preparation and contributed to a third-round loss at the French Open. But that didn’t dampen her spirits in June as the defending Wimbledon champion entered the grasscourt season.

In London prior to Wimbledon the 27-year-old took part in a unique exhibition, playing on a court split between two high-rise buildings to promote her new clothing sponsor Reebok. The court was split in half and placed on both sides of a 30-foot gap on the roof of a car park in Brent Cross. With views across London and the new Wembley Stadium in the background, Mauresmo took part in a 30-minute exhibition warm-up as well as taking time out to play against members of the British public.

“That was definitely a first for me, it was a long way from Centre Court last July,” Mauresmo said of the unique event. “I’m privileged to play on the best tennis courts in the world, but this was totally unique and much more me.”

Roy Gardner, Reebok’s head of European marketing, explained the stunt. “At Reebok we celebrate the individuality of our athletes and this is a great way to launch her new kit and showcase her in a different way.”

Mauresmo suffered a thigh injury during the French, but recovered in time for Wimbledon.

“It’s better, I had some trouble during the French Open but I hit the ball for the first time at the British Embassy in Paris, the only grasscourt in France,” Mauresmo said before Wimbledon. “I had the usual treatment, there was a little tear so we had to make sure it went away and not start playing too early and make it worse. It’s not there yet, I still need a few days to get confidence back in my movement.”

In addition to her Reebok clothing line, Mauresmo also changed racquets to HEAD, and spoke with the racquet company regarding her life on tour:

Q: Where do you call home and what do you miss the most while you are on tour?

Mauresmo: “Geneva. My friends and family and of course my dogs!”

What does a typical day include for you? What is your schedule like from when you wake up in the morning and then go to sleep at night?

“My days begin with breakfast, the most important meal of the day. I read the paper and organize my self for the day. We usually practice for a couple of hours in the morning and then we have lunch. In the afternoon we practice for another hour on the court and work in the gym for an hour or two. We then work on the muscles, with the massage and stretching. If I have to do an interview, I do it at the end of the day. For dinner we relax and get ready for the next day.”

How would your friends or peers describe you?

“My friends describe me as a hard worker but fun loving. I have lots of friends at home but also on the tour. My team is also made up of good friends. If we did not have a strong sense of companionship and loyalty towards each other, it would be hard to travel together. We are very close.”

You’ve recently had to recover from illness; how did your routine change during that time and were you anxious to return to the court?

“Well, having my appendix out was unexpected; so, it changed everything. I had to take it easy and work back up to a level of fitness slowly. I was very anxious to return to the court because recovering from appendicitis is not the best way to prepare for the Slams.”

What is one thing that would surprise most people about life on the professional tennis circuit?

“The thing that surprises most people is that life on the tour is not as glamorous as it seems. We work hard; we get tired; we get sick sometimes and we are away from home for long periods of time.”

What is the funniest/strangest thing you’ve seen happen at a tournament, either in the player’s lounge area or on court?

“The funniest thing I’ve ever seen was at the 1996 Wimbledon final when Richard Krajicek won the title. There was a stripper who ran across the court. I won the junior title that year.”

Life on tour is probably very demanding. What do you do when you aren’t playing or travelling to relax?

“I play cards with my friends.”

The tennis season is extremely long and grueling. What is your training regiment like and how do you keep in shape outside of coaching sessions?

“We take three weeks and go up to the Pyrenees to work on fitness. We do grueling hills on the bike and lots of intense training to get into the best possible shape for the new season.”

Mauresmo says she looks forward to defending her Wimbledon title, and will at the same time need to put up some big numbers in the coming months to keep her ranking in the Top 5.
“It’s been a tough year,” Mauresmo said, “but I’m looking forward to a better second part of the year.”

Appeared here: http://www.jaxtennismagazine.com/

New swimsuit photoshoot!!!

Amélie has done a new swimsuit photoshoot for Elle magazine, just before her appendicitis operation, as she states here.

Now all WMO members are kindly required to comb their local newspaper kiosks ... except KJ who will do it only after everyone else has found the photos :) ;) (being she the Official Utterly Useless Information Finder)

Quote from the interview: "I thought it was food poisoning at first. I was in Paris doing a photoshoot for Elle magazine in swimsuits, and then it started. The next day I received the Legion d'Honneur from our President."

Other interesting tidbits from the interview include:

"I had a very difficult week after that, because I don't know what they put in the anaesthetic. I felt terrible. Mentally, I felt down."

"First of all, my type of game on grass is very simple and easy. I serve and volley and on return of serve, as soon as a I have a short ball, I come in. I don't think too much. Playing on grass is what I do best."

Everything about Mauresmo is subdued, understated, apparently rational. Her hair is long and unfussily cut, her face unadorned by make-up, the fact that she is gay was simply stated in 1999 and neither subsequently hidden nor dramatised.

She does not live, or behave, like a star (if you discount the house in Geneva and that wine cellar). "I am lucky enough to have chosen people around me - and they have chosen me - that I can trust. My professional team have been with me for years and if they have something to tell me, they will. I don't see myself in terms of being a star. My friends will not do everything I say, and do not say 'yes' to me all the time. Maybe I'm fooling myself, but I don't think so."

Eastbourne High-Res Photos :)

Updated till final :) (five photos from F)

(Click on the photo to enlarge)

(OMG I so love this one...)

Eastbourne's depressing stalking scene...

Amélie tells us a bit about Eastbourne's apparently depressing stalking scene during the press conference.


Amélie: "there was a swift and nimble female who was looking at me like this..."



Amélie: "... you could see she had huge boobs... she kept agitating them in front of me"



Amélie: "... I tried to squeeze one of them but it was too big..."



Amélie: "Luckily I got a call from Bumsby... she's such a great girl, and told me to stay away from people who live in the South of London, wear tshirts with "SpankMe" written on it, and spread similar invitations on the Internet..."



Amélie: "... duh! Not even "Get Lost" (my anti-dyke summer spray) worked... now I have to ask Sophia to let me try other anti-fleas equipment... poor dog."

(Btw thanks Hugo for the photos: more here)

Amélie changes to double-handed backhand

She said she needed major changes, right?

;)

In truth, it's just one of the amazing pictures you can find (along with some videos) in nouf's scintillanting new website and forum: http://www.tennisphotos.org/

*worship*

Opération Mauresmo

Apparently Amélie is at a turning point of her year *eek*
She won't necessarily change her coach I think but big changes in preparation and tournament schedule seem in sight.

TRANSLATION OF TODAY'S ARTICLE FROM L'EQUIPE:

OPERATION MAURESMO

Ten days after Amélie Mauresmo's defeat in the 3rd round of Roland Garros, Loic Courteau has revealed its plan. Enough with the repeated injuries that penalize her! He wants her to get her physique, her tennis and her confidence back. The goal is to win another Grand Slam tournament.

On July 8th 2006, Amélie Mauresmo won Wimbledon. Since then, the Frenchwoman's rank went from 1st to 4th and she only won a "small" tournament (Antwerp). In 11 months, injuries became multiple and she underwent an appendicitis operation on March, 18. Since having resumed tournament play in May, she collected six victories and four defeats, one of which at the hands of Safarova in the third round of Roland Garros.

Following this defeat, her (old) age and her (great) physical frailty have been given as explanations of her performance low. Conscious of the necessity of provoking a sort of electric shock, Loic Courteau, who has been coaching Amélie for the last five years, makes his reflections known.

GREAT MOTIVATION: AMELIE IS NOT DONE

"Today, I think Amélie still has things to do in high-level tennis, and they are big things. This year's defeat in Paris pushes us to find a way to eradicate her problems as soon as possible. We don't have to think that Amélie, at 28, is on her way to decline. Even though she's been in professional tennis for 13 years, she's not done, as some people tend to believe after her defeat. On the contrary, she is hyper-motivated, and ready to take the time it will take on and off court. I can feel her having enough, I feel she's blessed in her pride as a champion. She does not want to be satisfied with her career [palmares] so far, and neither do I. When I see how Justine (Henin) plays today, with her superb maestria, I get angry because Amélie is able to play in the same way. We've been trying to catch up for a year, trying to regain the time lost because of injuries. We have to start from scratch, even if it means stopping two or three months to do the reconstruction work".

THE ORIGIN OF INJURIES: LIKE A THOROUGHBRED

"Now we understand how and why she gets injured. Amélie is like a thoroughbred, very strong but very fragile, close to the point of breakdown when she's on top of her form. As she needs to be hyper strong physically to express what she can do best on the court, we've arrived to this situation. In order to do what Amélie has done over the last two or three years, she worked super-hard. She is paying the expenses today.
We entered a vicious circle, in which her physical troubles influence her mental condition; and when she feels fragile mentally, she gets tight, she becomes prisoner of an emotional dimension which blocks her or at least restrains her. That translates into further muscular tension, and a change in her technique (particularly of her forehand). That's when I see her on her back leg, with all the body weight on it; she doesn't hit the ball in front of her anymore. The back is arched, she moves at the pelvis level, and the result is a further tension in her abductors and on the quadriceps. Roughly, that's how she gets injured: because of this complex relation between the mental, the technical and the physical parts".

THE PRIORITY: RE-BUILDING HER PHYSIQUE

"After talks with Xavier Moreau, her trainer, and Doctor Gilles Daubinet, we arrived at the following programme. At the beginning, Amélie works on the relaxation, so that she'll arrive well at Wimbledon in less than two weeks. Later, the great "building process" will consist in reconstructing her physique through the reinforcement of the lower part of the body. During the summer vacations, on which Amélie usually goes in July, after Wimbledon and the Fed Cup, this time she will go to Cap Breton (Basque Country) to re-educate her abductors. She will play Toronto, New Haven and then the US Open, but if she's never 100% physically, we will skip some of them. In the future, we will try to limit ourselves to two consecutive tournaments, no more, because on every tournament she will play her opponents will have to realize that she's on top, and they will stop thinking that Amélie has become vulnerable. What I also ask of Xavier Moreau, it's to make himself available as much as possible to accompany Amélie on tournaments so that she can work [out] also during tournaments. I know it's not easy for Xavier, who has big responsibilities in the Team Lagardere, but there aren't 36 solutions. Xavier agrees and is trying to see to what extent he could make himself available".

A LUXURY INTERIM: "SHE DOESN'T BELONG TO ME"

"From time to time, I want Amélie to travel alone to tournaments, it does her well. For example, I want someone else to accompany her to the US Open in my place. I've thought about someone of great experience, of undebatable competence, really the cream of the crop, whom Amélie trusts deeply, and who is going to give her advice, speak in a language different than my own, with his own words. That could be super-beneficial, especially at the psychological level, and it will allow me to rest and remain at a distance for a while. I would be very interested in hearing the analysis of the person who will accompany her, and to hear Amélie's impressions and feelings about having a different coach than me. And we will see where that will take us. Even though I think we still can do beautiful things together; even though after five years spent next to each other Amélie still pays much attention to the message I want to get through, maybe she'll feel better next to another coach. Therefore, I have no hesitation in questioning me. Amélie doesn't belong to me, she doesnt' belong to the staff around her. What's important now is that she starts again, that she gets her best level back. The objective is as much clear as it is ambitious: she no longer has ten years ahead of her, she has 3 or 4 years and I wish that she wins another or more Grand Slam tournaments. I know that she can do it and I also know she can do it at Roland Garros. Because what happened in Paris these five years we've been together has left a bad taste in my mouth. The Parisian public must see what she's capable of".

(Alain Deflassieux)



Apparently Amélie is in the worst slump since 1998, according to the Win-Loss ratio:


A REPLACER, YES, BUT WHO?

Among the tracks leading to an interim luxury coach, the highest-riden seems that leading to Guy Forget...

Loic Courteau has often stressed the importance of renovating the discourse about her protegée, suggesting the entrance of a third party in between their one-on-one's. He was behind the "Noah" operation two years ago, just before Roland Garros. The initiative wasn't successful in the sense that the anecdotal side had short-circuited the sport side; moreover, they didn't have enough time. But one could have imagined that Courteau might want to have a follow up of the experience. That was nothing. According to a verification made with Yannick Noah's agent, "the singer only has 5 free days from now to the start of classes, because of his musical tour and family vacations".

If it's not Yannick Noah, why not Patrice Hagelauer, in the Team Lagardere framework, or even Georges Goven, the Fed Cup captain? Reached by phone yesterday, Hagelauer, who had made remarks on Amélie's service and forehand with Courteau, after the lost Fed Cup final in September 2005, seems surprised: "Loic hasn't talked to me about it". Goven, himself, answers: "I am aware of Loic's move. We often talk about it on the phone. He looks for solutions. That's all." Remains Guy Forget, who was behind the Mauresmo-Courteau association back in the spring of 2003. At the time, the player was coached by Alexia Dechaume, her current press agent, and the two young women were separating by common assent. Mauresmo had called Guy Forget, who suggested his childhood friend Loic Courteau, at least for an interim. And we can't say, five years later, that it wasn't a good idea.

Since then, Guy Forget has abandoned his function as Fed Cup captain, and his Davis Cup duties are not incompatible with a Commando Operation [*eek*;) ] with Amélie Mauresmo. In fact, he says he's ready to lend a hand. "Amélie is like my little sister, and Loic my big brother", he says. "It's he who taught me the little I know about women's tennis. The coach-player tandem is what I know better. I know Loic has ideas on the issue. We've discussed a little about it. On my part, I've never refused to help Amélie. Therefore I'm ready to help her, a bit like Yannick did, be it in the form of a week's training or of a specific preparation for the US Open. But it must come from them, that they judge that this can be useful for them, and it also has to fit in my schedule." [...] [D.B. with Ph. B.]


MOREAU: "A WORK OF PRECISION"

"Loic Courteau wants you to lend a further hand to Amélie Mauresmo at the physical preparation level."
- The current problem is more of the medical-physiotherapeutic kind. We have to take some time after her appendicitis operation, which made her fragile, as she couldn't do the necessary training sessions.

"What to do?"
- We have fine-tuned a protocol in order for her to profit from her exceptional physical qualities - muscular and energetic - again. She needs to go back to train regularly, also during tournaments. Since the end of her convalescence, she is blocked into an eternal phase of training resumption.

"What are the priorities?"
- Get back to an excellence level on the low end of the body. It's a work of precision and she can't do it alone. So we're working together this week, and then I leave for England with her. After Wimbledon, she is going to do an accurate medical assessment with Gilles Daubinet. After that, she will leave for the American season. About which, according to her needs, it's possible that I might accompany her... yes, no problem, because it's my job, in the framework of her partnership with the Team Lagardere.

What is she doing on the roof?!?!

I found this photo on ESPN. The caption says she is doing a photo shoot... *shrug* *puzzled look*

Amélie and Mummy Francoise

I did my 2nd seminar in 3 (working) days today and I'm a bit tired as I also had a meeting in another place this morning... so as I got back home I was really glad to discover that genius photographer Corinne Dubreuil has a wonderful photoshoot up on her website :D (Thanks Linnie and Ximista)

The part that interests us most sees Amélie cuddling up to her mum and the rest of her family: Sophia and Bengale. ;)



and now let's sing in choir:

awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww ;)

Marie de Villepin was watching Amélie's match...

...against Safarova, according to our Resident Official Supplier of Amelie's Pictures During Off Season (OSAPDOS) and WMO MomoBlogger BARBIE (whose amazing photoblog can be seen here)

he he he

this calls for another round of speculations I think. Or at least explains why the rumors circulated :P (see report here)

UPDATE: cutelatingirl from wtaworld said:
"I was the commentator who saw the possible "good friend" of Amélie, and it wasn’t in a picture, I saw the entire match on TV and as Ion Ţiriac is a very important man in the world of tennis and he’s known because doesn’t like the women’s tennis (I don’t blame him), he took the attention of the media for looking at the complete match.

She was not too close, maybe a couple of lines behind but they were alone in that "box" and talked and talked all the time. Besides she applauded in a very effusive way the few incredible points that Mauresmo played as she does (sometimes).... Was she her gf? I cannot assure that, but very VERY similar... yes.

Perhaps the baby has a crush on Momo and is having a hard time avoiding G's threats... LOL (Also see discussion on the post below: here)

Now, if earlier I was looking forward for someone to upload the match, now I just can't wait a second longer!!!!

A couple of photos of the 20-year old model (click on the picture to enlarge):

Amélie is injured :P

From the official website:

Suite à son élimination des internationaux de France Samedi, Amélie a du passer hier une échographie qui a révélé une déchirure aux adducteurs de 2 cm. Amélie : " Dès le 2ème jeu de mon match face à Safarova, une douleur très vive m’a obligée a faire appel au doc et à la kiné sur le court. " Amélie devra effectuer des soins quotidiens. Elle espère reprendre la raquette le plus rapidement possible et garder son programme initial. Un examen de contrôle est prévu en milieu de semaine.

Translation: "Following her exit from the French Open on Saturday, Amélie has undergone an echography yesterday which has revealed a tear of 2 cm on her abductors. Amélie: "from the 2nd game on in the match against Safarova, a strong pain forced me to call the physiotherapist on the court". Amélie will have to receive daily treatments. She hopes to grab the racquet again as soon as possible and maintain her established (tournament) programme. A control test is planned in the middle of the week."

So who's gonna curse first?

I am waiting for CBS Sportsline to show the high-res photos... but maybe I should have lunch :P
Fuck! Why did it have to be Lucie as early as the 3rd?!?!?! I even liked the outfit this year...

*********************************************

Ok, I've had lunch (which at this hour is almost dinner) and I'm watching the Hamburg final to cheer me up... LOL. Still no high-res photos up on Sportsline. I've read Amélie's interview and she says she still has problems with adductors (which she injured training in Rome as I reported here) and that she's impatient to get back to best form.

*yawn* so the mess of a year I was talking about here seems to get even messier... *sobs*

OMG! Amélie is (really) playing at the French Open!

I saw parts of her two matches and I don't recall her playing so well on clay since Berlin 2004 or Rome 2005... after getting used to see her play so well on grass, it's nice to see how her game changes on clay. Much more spin, heavier forehands, hitting closer to the lines. It is similar to how she played in AO 2006 (*cough* ok I'll stop jinxing her)

And how much class does she have? Her game is so adaptable to every style and surface and still so beautiful *melts*

She deserves another high-res photo tribute.

Btw are you watching the daily France 2 videos? Today there's a nice one on ballboys with Amélie appearing at the beginning and at the end: at the end it's a must-see, she does a great face! LOL *love* Click here to see it :)

Ok, here's the high-res photos as promised.



And now my (medium-resolution) favorites from today:


*heart-eyes*


LMAO she looks clownish ^^


This one reminds me of when she was younger...