“I would have liked to play a five-set Grand Slam final”

The French Amelie Mauresmo is convinced that if women had the opportunity to play a five-set Grand Slam final, “This would take women's tennis to another physical and sporting level”, and that she would have loved.

“I would have liked to play a five-set Grand Slam final,” says the former player, champion of the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2006., and the 2005 Los Angeles Women's Masters, in statements provided by Eurosport.

“To begin with, I am absolutely in favor of women playing the best of five sets, in a Grand Slam final,” adds the French, a few days before the first big of the season begins, on February 8.

Mauresmo is sincere and confesses when reviewing his career that he had to face his homosexuality in a complicated way, due to the commotion it caused.

“I did not experience the media coverage well, the one that occurred around my coming out of the closet when I was very young and it weighed heavily on me immediately after saying it, “he says.

“It was very hard to pay that attention that I had not naively foreseen. But I quickly let go of it and people saw the tennis player, the champion I became later, and it was easier to live with the recognition of what he had achieved on the track, “he says.

He also admits that she arrival on Andy Murray's team as a coach was not easy. “The reception of the players, other coaches and other members of Andy's 'staff' was very hard, but with him everything is going very well, “he says.

“I did not receive any gifts, I think they did not respect me for being a woman and not having been a coach before,” she adds. “I learned at work how to be a coach. I worked hard to catch up and feel at that level and then it went very well for me, it was a nice experience. “

“When Andy Murray came looking for me, I thought it was a joke,” says Mauresmo. “After Ivan Lendl, who was much better than me, I didn't see what I could bring her as a coach. It had never been done in men's tennis or very little. I realized that I had a great responsibility and that I had no right to be wrong. If I was wrong, all women are wrong with me, “he says.

“I never thought of being a coach. I didn't feel capable of doing it,” concludes Mauresmo, whose passage as captain of the Federation Cup also helped her on your goal. “The weeks of the Federation Cup gave me little things here and there, which helped me.”