![]() Murray is comfortable collaborating with women, with his mother Judy, the British Fed Cup captain, heavily involved in his career until he was 17. She was an adviser to Michael Llodra during the 2010 grasscourt swing and helped Wimbledon champ Marion Bartoli in 2013.īut Mauresmo knows what it is like to play with the pressure of a home Grand Slam, despite having reached as far as the quarterfinals only twice at the French Open in 15 tries. Mauresmo, recently appointed France's Fed Cup captain, had limited coaching experience. In Mauresmo he saw a kindred soul, with a champion's pedigree, an attentive ear and a different perspective. I became very defensive because I felt like I was getting criticized about not just my tennis but my hair, the way I looked, what I was saying." I didn't feel like I could express myself at all. "I didn't feel like I was represented fairly. There was no pressure."īut the media scrutiny in Great Britain, starved for a champion, took a toll. The Scot talked of how excited he was to be living his dream when he began competing on the pro tour. Like Mauresmo, Murray felt the sting of notoriety in his career. ![]() ![]() ![]() "He recognizes she's somebody who's pushed envelopes along the way," said Stubbs, a former No. Rennae Stubbs, the out lesbian from Australia who comments for Tennis Channel, said the grace with which Mauresmo handled her disclosure was probably a "small factor" in Murray's decision to bring her onto his team. The reference was oblique, but it likely extended beyond some of the more obvious synergies. In his June 8 hiring announcement, Murray specifically mentioned the "adversity" Mauresmo had overcome in her career. 1 ranking and in 2006 winning the Australian Open and Wimbledon. Ultimately, the net-charging Mauresmo prevailed, becoming the first French woman to hold the No. She had her ups and downs on and off the court and probably lost some big matches she could have won. "That shows an awful lot of poise and self-containment." "She didn't have to do it and she did it with class," TV commentator Mary Carillo says. She was young and vulnerable, her future earning power at risk. Then 19, she made no attempt to hide her sexual orientation or the girlfriend she was traveling with when she reached the Melbourne final. Mauresmo wasn't the first openly gay competitor in tennis.īut unlike previous pioneers such as Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova, Mauresmo was neither outed nor established when she opened the door on her personal life at the 1999 Australian Open. Mauresmo, who declined to be interviewed for this story, downplayed the gender aspect at a news conference this month at the French Open: "I know it's a major event in a way in the world of tennis - in the world of sports, as well." "There isn't a clear career pathway for female coaches to get up to the top of the game," said Murray's mother, Judy Murray. Mauresmo's alliance with Murray, 27, has implications for other women who have struggled to get hired as coaches on the pro tours. ![]() But Lendl, among other reasons, didn't want to travel as much, so they parted ways. Open and 2013 Wimbledon, with Ivan Lendl as coach. Murray won his two majors, at the 2012 U.S. It is also an interim gig for Mauresmo, 34, with a contract for the one-month grass season for now. 20 seed Kevin Anderson of South Africa in Wimbledon's fourth round. 3 seed Murray is playing his fifth match with Mauresmo at his side Monday when he faces No. Since Andy Murray announced he had hired 2006 Wimbledon champion Mauresmo as a coach two weeks before his title defense here, the decision has generated much fascination and speculation. WIMBLEDON - France's Amelie Mauresmo smashed the gay ceiling in tennis. ![]()
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