Mauresmo Down and Out
It’s hard to keep on keeping on when there aren’t any results to show for it. That’s how former world number one Amelie Mauresmo feels these days.
Mauresmo exited the Qatar Open this week in the second round with a 7-6, 7-5 loss to Tamarine Tanasugarn. Tama-T who? Exactly. Suffice it to say it isn’t taking top 25 players to punch Mauresmo’s tickets out of tournaments.
“I sometimes ask myself what the hell I’m doing [playing] in front of half-empty stands,” said the world number 29.
Mauresmo has won only eight matches since losing her Wimbledon singles title last July. For those who can’t do the math, that’s not enough.
Is Mauresmo on the verge of quitting? I think she might be. She’s 28 years old; she’s not winning; she’s not even really existing in the world of tennis anymore. If she’s not on the verge of quitting, she’s on the verge of settling into the tennis cellar if she can’t pull something out soon.
I think she’ll hang it up this year, too, unless she gets a surge of passion for the game again. It sounds like her confidence is gone. It’s too bad—it’s nice to see players fight until the end, not just sort of give up. Maybe she’ll get her groove back one more time.