Sunday, January 22, 2012

Out Spotlight

Today’s Out Spotlight was ranked No. 1 in the tennis world, winning 25 career titles including two Grand Slams. In 2004, they received an Olympic Silver medal in tennis singles. Today’s Out Spotlight is is French former professional tennis player Amélie Mauresmo.

Amélie Simone Mauresmo was born in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France on July 5, 1979. Her mother, Françoise is a homemaker and her father Francis, who died in March 2004, was an engineer. She also has a brother Fabien who is an engineer. Mauresmo began playing tennis at the age of four, after being inspired by Yannick Noah's win in the 1983 French Open on television. It was after his win that her parents bought her first tennis racket. Her talent on the court was quickly recognized, and her parents enrolled her in private lessons. In 1996, at the age of seventeen, she captured both the junior French Open and Wimbledon titles. She was named 1996 Junior World Champion by the International Tennis Federation. In 1998 her childhood inspiration Yannick Noah picked her to be on n the French team for the Fed Cup.

The unseeded Mauresmo reached the Australian Open final in 1999 with wins over three seeded players, including world no. 1 Lindsay Davenport, before falling to world no. 2 Martina Hingis. Mauresmo was only the second Frenchwoman ever to reach the Australian Open final and was only the third Frenchwoman to reach any Grand Slam final during the Open Era. She defeated Hingis later in the year, en route to the final of the Paris indoor event.

In 1999, two years into her professional career, Mauresmo came out during the Australian Open. She publicly embraced her girlfriend after defeating the World No. 1 player, Lindsay Davenport. Mauresmo credited her on-court success to coming to terms with her sexuality. She is the first tennis player to come out without losing any major sponsors.

Mauresmo first attained no 1 ranking on 13 September 2004, holding it for five weeks on that occasion. She was the fourteenth world no. 1 in women's tennis since computer rankings began. She is one of only a few tennis players to reach World No. 1 ranking before winning a Grand Slam title. Known for her powerful one-handed backhand and strong net play, she has defeated top-ranked players such as Venus and Serena Williams, Martina Hingis, and Justine Henin. In 2003, she helped France capture the Fed Cup and went on to win a silver medal in singles tennis at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, where she was defeated by Belgian Justine Henin in the final.

In 2007, the president of France presented Mauresmo with the Legion of Honor, the highest honor for a citizen. She officially announced her retirement from professional tennis on December 3 2009, ending a career of ten years. She returned to Wimbledon in 2010, acting as a grass court advisor for Frenchman and 2007 Wimbledon doubles champion Michaël Llodra.

At the 2011 French Open, Mauresmo was set to be reunited with Llodra, making her professional return in the mixed doubles competition, but was disqualified before competing, because she had not re-registered for the anti-doping procedures required to compete on the tour.

This past November, Mauresmo ran her first marathon at the 2010 New York City Marathon, finishing 3hr: 40m: 20s.

Since retiring, she has become ambassador of the Sport for Life Foundation, a Swiss-based organization dedicated to supporting young athletes. “I want to share the experiences I’ve gathered along my career with young people so they cannot walk into traps,” she says. “Respect for values is the foundation for success!”

Mauresmo lives in Geneva, Switzerland.

“Whether it's in the right way or sometimes the wrong way, you learn about life and its lessons.”

19 comments:

  1. I enjoyed this Out Spotlight. I don't recognize her name or face though, which surprises me since she's won at Wimbledon. She can sure scowl but she can sure smile, too. Something tells me she must have been quite fierce on the court, judging by the look in her eyes! lol

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  2. Special, I just heard. My sister is grumbling because the Baltimore kicker missed a 32 yard FG. LOLLLL

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  3. It wasn't pretty but we're in! Pats are going to the Superbowl!!

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  4. Well, they just showed the trailer for This Means War and I don't know. I thought it was going to be a romcom but that thing looks kind of serious. I don't think I like it. Reese looks great - circa Legally Blonde. But I'm just not a Tom Hardy fan and somebody had ugly old tattoos all over their arms. Not attractive at all.

    I'm not sure how much longer she is going to be able to play these kind of roles.

    Wooaaah, the Giants just scored!

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  5. Congrats to the Pats' fans. Can't believe the Ravens missed that FG.

    Interesting Spotlight, I haven't heard of her before.

    I think This Means War actually looks like it might be fun. And PG, the guy with the ugly tattoos is Tom Hardy , and agree that they are a turn-off, although I do like Hardy, and Pine, and if this gets decent reviews I may just have to go and do my best to pretend it's not Reese. My girlfriend thinks she looks like she's had a major botox job.

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  6. lol. I think Chris Pine is kind of cute but Tom Hardy, I don't get that one; not sure why he's a hearthrob.

    Wow, that was really scary when that player Terrell got hurt. He was out cold, wasn't he? I wish they would cut to commercials on injuries like that and quit showing the replays over and over.

    It was interesting, Destiny, to check Twitter as soon as that movie trailer was over and see the Twitter trends, then read the reviews from people across the nation.

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  7. Was the buzz mostly positive, or negative?

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  9. I'd say half and half, Dest. There were people saying it looked dumb and then there were quite a few who said they wanted to go see it. I looked at quite a few of them but not all.

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  10. Has Austin cancelled his page on Twitter?

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  11. Nope, it's there, question.

    Man, don't scare me like that! lol

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  12. Sorry forgery alarm the page is still on.

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  13. Yes I'm sorry, perhaps in my country there is some problem with twitter, but it is everything right now, I didn't want to frighten you:)

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  14. Glad the Patriots won, though I am bummed out that the 49ers lost. They lost it fair and square so no one to blame it on. I did not even watch them during regular season but got excited about them at the end.

    Quiet on the Jake front after all the excitement of seeing he and Austin. I hope we see more of them this week.

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  15. Dear Ted:
    I'm curious what you think of Taylor Swift's taste in men. First, there was John Mayer, then Jake Gyllenhall and now Zac Efron? Me thinks there some more heartbreak songs coming!
    —Meganev414

    Dear Of Course There Are:
    But, each of the dudes you listed were less serious than the previous, I do believe. My thoughts? Taylor hasn't met her big true love yet: the one that'll really get the heart- and guitar-strings a pullin'. You know, somebody like Tebow.

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  16. Zac Efron, really? I missed that.

    M, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I felt sort of bad for the 49er who had the ball stripped from him, setting up the Giants' win, I guess because I sort of like the team, unlike other teams I view as bitter enemies.

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  17. I am def upset the Niners lost but the Giants played better. The Niners have no offense. Eli Manning is playing very well. He will give Brady a run for his money.

    When does basebal start? Actually Less than 30 days to pitchers and catchers.

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  18. It's almost Timmy Time! Yeah.

    I hope the San Francisco Giants cut that 20 million plus contract deal with him soon. I recognize that top notched professional athletes are overpaid, but comparatively, Lincecum has been underpaid for years.

    I'm actually surprised the 49ers were able to achieve as much as they did this season. They have an excellent defense, but their offense is pretty mediocre. Where was Joe Montana when you needed him?

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  19. regardless of whether one finds Tom Hardy to be a heartthrob or not, he is a phenomenal actor and I am kind of curious at how he ended up in that flick. Perhaps, after more serious and intense roles he needed something light. I myself find him extremely charismatic, and think he can one day look smashing and the next horrible but it does not bother me the least. Casting Reese for that role was pretty dumb.

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