Stay away from those guys, they make you go bananas."Mauresmo laughs, then says: "When you have some problems you cannot resolve by yourself - and it happens - it is good to see somebody that could help you and put you in the right direction." Is there one person she admires above others? "Not really. I've never had that kind of vision of people."She approaches Eastbourne and Wimbledon with a lighter step, relieved to have put the French Open behind her for another year."After Roland Garros, for me all the attention, all the pressure is off. Pierce, explaining her loss, said she was not nervous at Roland Garros, which probably surprised Mauresmo."Do I get nervous? Yes, I do!" Mauresmo says. "I think it's natural [at your home tournament], but you still have to get over this if you want to do well. Moreover, she has been eliminated before the last 16 in seven out of her 11 appearances.Seeded third for this year's tournament, and with the charismatic Yannick Noah in her corner, Mauresmo was beaten in the third round on the middle Saturday by the 17-year-old Ana Ivanovic, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.Towards the end of the match, French television flashed up a cartoon depicting a nail-biting, perspiring female viewer with her hair standing on end It could have been Mauresmo's alter ego. Mauresmo was runner-up to Martina Hingis in the 1999 Australian Open, but has yet to advance beyond the semi-finals at the French. "And do you know what? After the French Open, I need to relax."Watching the women's singles final last Saturday from a seat in the guest box at Roland Garros, Mauresmo had reason to empathise with Mary Pierce, her compatriot, who lost 6-1, 6-1 to the lively Belgian Justine Henin-Hardenne.But at least the 30-year-old Pierce has two major titles to her name, the 1995 Australian Open and the 2000 French Open - which was won in the second of her three finals on the clay courts of Paris, where Mauresmo was once the junior champion.
It is hardly surprising that Mauresmo, in common with others packing their bags for a trip to the seaside next week, is looking forward to a refreshing time among the holidaymakers in Eastbourne. The mental aspect of winning and losing tennis matches is an abiding fascination. Consider, for example, Am?e Mauresmo, whose home Grand Slam event, the French Open, can be purgatory both for her and her long-suffering supporters. Henman, the No 3 seed here behind Lleyton Hewitt and Andy Roddick, starts today against Robby Ginepri.The first taste of home expectations did not put off Murray. "To play at home in front of a lot of people is good motivation for me," Murray added.
"You feel like you've got a lot of people there helping you and are wanting you to win, so it really makes you play better."Rusedski made a number of backhand errors but otherwise looked in reasonable shape as he beat Goodall, 6-3, 6-4. Rusedski won with a single break of serve in both sets, achieved through a combination of winning volleys and Goodall's tendency to rush his shots.. "I didn't find the transition from clay to grass that tough, because the court didn't feel much like a grass court. The ball comes quite fast on the serves, but it takes all the spins quite well.
