I don’t know if Amelie Mauresmo is going to win this tournament or not. She could play like a lioness (Is that okay??? Is that offensive to anyone???? That’s not sexist or anything, is it???), as firm of mind as she is of hand, and still lose to Justine Henin-Hardenne tomorrow – that’s how well Justine is playing, and that’s how daunting an Enemy Combatant she has been here in Melbourne.
But whatever happens, Mauresmo has been a real champ here already. She’s not only played some amazing tennis (after a rocky first-rounder, she's shredded everyone - and scored knockouts over Krajicek and Clijster), she’s shown great grace and integrity.
Yesterday, after Not So Li’l Kim went down on a rolled ankle in the midst of their hugely entertaining match, you could see the genuine concern Mauresmo showed for her injured comrade when they met for the handshake at the net. It was just one of those spontaneous moments in which people reveal their true selves, for good or ill, and Mauresmo showed that she has a lot of class. Richard Hinds wrote a very sympathetic piece about Amelie in today’s The Age. Read the whole thing.
By the same token, I’m really tired of people constantly rehashing that “half-man” comment Martina Hingis made about Mauresmo a few years ago. You know what? Get over it. Isn’t this all part of the same cultural environment in which people periodically fall to their knees, ga-ga, when some actress or model (Linda Hamilton, anyone?) turns up in movie or ad campaign with ripped abs and guns like Ah-nold?.
Just cruise (Whoops! Is that okay??? Is that offensive to anyone???) the photo files of Mauresmo and you’ll find a warrior chick who often looks a whole lot more like Iggy Pop than Brittney Spears. It’s a reality, what do you want to do, ignore it, or take punitive action against those who remark on it? Martina Navratilova had a similar physiological profile as Amelie and she had to deal with similar controversies; meanwhile, people ogled pictures of her bulging muscles and veins with awe and wonder, and she used those assets to win lots of tennis tournaments.
Now, shall we talk tennis?
I got a lot of grief a few months ago, after Mauresmo won the WTA Championships, for dubbing her the Queen of the Second Tier. Mauresmo(Sorry, I just can't bring myself to call her "Momo"; what is she, one of Jane Goodall's apes?)said in her pre-final presser today that her performance in LA changed everything, convincing her of her own capabilities: “It made me take things very differently now.”
Mauresmo fielded the usual dreary assortment of negative questions with great aplomb (But gosh it must be tough sometimes: Mauresmo's one of the half-dozen best players in the world, yet bozos who never achieved anything casually call her a "choker" to her face). She was charming, and there was a serene aura about her. It’s amazing to think that by reaching the final, she has become the Open Era record holder for most years having elapsed between Grand Slam finals (7).
You can take that stat and file it in the folder marked “Meaningless.” Mauresmo, at 26, is a much better player than she was when she contested her last major final here. And it seems to me that she’s a much stronger girl, too. I asked her if she felt she was still getting stronger, despite the number of miles on her odometer.
Strength and fitness are not apt to be the deciding issues tomorrow, though. You know that Henin-Hardenne is going to come at Mauresmo, fang and claw, trying to pressure her into errors that gradually erode her confidence.
Mauresmo will have one big issue, and its corollary, to address: How far inside the court she should play, and what she can do to counter Henin-Hardenne playing from inside the baseline, forcing the action by taking the ball on the rise. Mauresmo can beat a lot of people while playing claycourt style tennis,from five or six feet behind the baseline. But Henin-Hardenne isn't one of them.
I have the feeling that Mauresmo is ready; I think she’s mentally and emotionally capable of winning this match. In terms of stroke production and technique, it’s a pick ‘em, but Mauresmo will have to find a way to keep Henin-Hardenne from controlling the tempo. The woman who dictates the flow will win the title.