Amélie Mauresmo, former world number one, was appointed director of the Roland Garros tennis tournament, first woman to assume that position, to which she comes to replace former French player Guy Forget.
“How proud to join the Roland Garros teams. I have accepted this position as tournament director clearly showing great ambitions. I will defend them with the demand, freedom and passion that have always driven me, “he said in a message in Twitter published by the French Tennis Federation (FFT).
Mauresmo, 42, has signed a three-year contract, according to the newspaper The Team. “It is a new era,” added FFT president Gilles Moretton, according to which the tournament was seeking “a new vision” for that position.
The Frenchwoman was a professional player from 1993 to 2009, was champion of the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2006 and the 2005 Los Angeles Women’s Masters.
In June 2018 she was named captain of the French men’s Davis Cup team for 2019 and 2020, which made her the first woman in that position, but the former tennis player ended up resigning to coach Lucas Pouille.
Forget, for his part, is leaving the leadership of Roland Garros and the Masters 1,000 in Paris-Bercy after not having renewed his contract with the FFT. His link with both tournaments, in which he had led for five and nine years, respectively, ends on December 31.
Under his leadership, the French Grand Slam had to deal with the covid health crisis, which forced the 2020 edition to be postponed by almost six months. Also, in an ambitious reform plan, during his tenure the brand-new Simonne Mathieu debuted , the third largest in the Roland Garros complex.
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