Amelie Mauresmo replaces Guy Forget to direct Roland-Garros – Liberation

The busy retired world No. 1 famed Frenchman will become the tournament’s new director after Forget’s departure due to disagreements with the federation’s president.

She will be the first woman to lead the great Porte d’Etuile tournament: Amelie Mauresmo takes over from Roland-Garros head Guy Forget, FFT president announced on Thursday. The former world number 1 will remain in the position “at least until 2024”.

“I am extremely proud and honored that Gilles Moreton and Amelie Odia-Castera would like to hand me over the reins of this tournament which embodies many memories in my personal and sporting life. I took this position of Tournament Director with clear ambition. Accepted. I will wear them with the rigor, freedom and passion that has always inspired me.” In a press release reacted to the former champion.

Mauresmo’s appointment comes as no big surprise as the forty-year-old marked the two-decade history of his sport. First as a player, she dominated the women’s circuit head and shoulders in the 2000s, finishing first in the rankings in 2004 and 2006 (39 weeks in total) and two Grand Slams (at the Australian Open and Wimbledon). Live. 2006), silver medals at the Masters (in 2005) and the Athens Olympics (2004).

Since retiring from the sport in 2009 at the age of just 30, she has never shied away from the courts. We first see him on television as a consultant, commenting on the matches of his former opponents for France Television, Eurosport and most recently Amazon Prime.

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At the same time, she became involved with several players in the early 2010s, mentoring Michael Lodra, Victoria Azarenka or Marion Bartoli. Then went on to coach the Scottish star Andy Murray (from 2014 to 2016) and Lucas Poyle (from 2019 to 2020). A few hurdles in the men’s circuit which is still very masculine. To these already time-consuming tasks, she adds the captaincy of the French Fed Cup team, which she held from 2013 to 2016, despite a final in her final year never leading French women to coronation. Didn’t succeed either.

Amidst all this, Emilie Mauresmo also found time to co-direct the Open GDF-Suez from 2011 to 2014, a Paris tournament she won three times as a player. To see him take charge of Roland-Garros today is therefore only a logical continuation in this retirement, full, to say the least.

Amelie Mauresmo’s name has been circulating in the highest circles of French tennis since Guy Forget announced on Tuesday that he had refused to lead the Roland-Garros and Rolex Paris Masters (the second-highest tournament in France). In an interview given to crewHe explained that the current had always been bad with the federation’s new boss elected in February. “Communication with them never existed. And clearly I felt there was no trustHe explained the games everyday, I don’t blame anyone but at the same time when I talk to you, I feel sorry for leaving the people I love dearly and relieved.

Despite the rumours, Guy Forget denied that his departure had anything to do with the Pandora Papers. However, his name was revealed in this XXL data leak, which was revealed by the International Association of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), revealing a much larger scale of tax evasion. The Ethics Committee of the FFT took up the matter and approved Forget on 5 November. “In the absence of established tax evasion or other criminally reprehensible conduct”,