Mauresmo Starts to Love Grass Courts Wednesday, June 30, 2004 After defeating Paola Suarez in today's quarter-final encounter on No.1 Court, the fourth seed, Amelie Mauresmo of France, will play Serena Williams in a repeat of their 2002 semi-final that Serena won convincingly. After going out at the quarter-finals in each of her four Grand Slams, Mauresmo will be pleased she has managed to progress to the final four here at The Championships. Speaking about being back in a Grand Slam semi final after two years, she said: “It's a very good feeling, you know. Coming out of the French [Open] wasn't a very easy moment for me. And then I went back to work pretty quickly after that. You know, I just feel that I'm taking the opportunities I have. I'm playing some good tennis, very aggressive, going to the net, going forward. And it pays off.” Twenty-four- year-old Mauresmo says she decided to play tennis before she was four years old, after she saw Yannick Noah on television winning the 1983 French Open. She is better known as a natural clay court player but has clearly developed an excellent forward game on grass. At the pre-Wimbledon Ladies’ grass court tournament at Eastbourne, Mauresmo reached the semi-finals, but lost to Slovak Daniela Hantuchova in three sets. Mauresmo says she is beginning to fall in love with grass: “I've been feeling pretty good a couple years ago when I came to the semis. But again this year, I have some pretty good feeling and a good sensation on this surface. So, you know, it took me a few years to understand how to play on this surface, and now I'm starting to feel comfortable. So it's very good feeling.” Speaking after her quarter-final match today against Paola Suarez, she was asked if she was basing her grass court game on Briton Tim Henman. She said: “No, not really. To me the game on grass is made to go forward, and sometimes serve and volley. He serves and volleys all the time, first and second serve, which I don't do. But that's how I see the game on that surface. I wouldn't like to play another game, except, if I have to, if I need to change something. But so far that's what I like.” Mauresmo has not yet won a Grand Slam title and nine-times Ladies’ Singles Champion Martina Navratilova said Mauresmo was her pre-tournament favourite for it. The French woman does not feel unduly pressurised by such a portent, saying: “it's a huge compliment. No question about that. To me she invented the game on this surface. So, it's a compliment.” Asked how she might tackle the semi-final against Serena Williams, Mauresmo said: “It's pretty tough to play against Serena because in one or two shots, it's done. You have to be very focused and ready from the first shot to handle her game. But I will…take my chances, put my game together as I did in the last couple matches, and we'll see how it goes.” -- ************台大戲劇所‧第五期《劇說戲言》徵稿囉！**************************** =======【戲劇或劇場相關論文】================================================= 不論研究領域，不論中西古今，凡是與戲劇相關的學術研究皆可投稿。 =======【劇本】=============================================================== 不管風格形式，不怕驚世駭俗，歡迎任何類型的劇本創作前來佔據發聲的制高點。 截止日期:七月二十日，詳情請至http://ccms.ntu.edu.tw/~theatre/dramatization/ --

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