Former World No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo becomes first female director of the French Open

Former World No.1 Amelie Mauresmo has been appointed as the French Open's new director.

The news comes a day after Guy Forget stepped down from his position following the end of his contract. Mauresmo will hold this position until 2024. The Frenchwoman is the very first female to hold this position.

Mauresmo had a great career as a player, winning the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2006 and topped the WTA rankings for 39 weeks. She did not taste any success at the French Open, however, but reached the quarterfinals in 2003 and 2004.

Following her retirement in 2009, Mauresmo became a coach and tutored many notable players, including Andy Murray, Victoria Azarenka, and compatriot Marion Bartoli, who won Wimbledon 2013 under her guidance.

Upon her appointment, the 42-year-old said, as quoted by L'Equipe:

“Roland-Garros has resonated with me since I was very little. This tournament created a vocation in me and it has been the common thread of my whole life. Of course, there was the title of Yannick Noah in 1983 ... And there was my story with the tournament, for better or for worse. Our relationship has been complex. But the central was our playground when we were young teenagers in the training center, long before we discovered it as a player. "

"I am very fortunate to be asked. I didn't have a plan for what to do after my playing career. I had fulfilled, even surpassed, all my childhood dreams. But I was lucky enough to be called. It is probably due to what I release, to the requirement that I have always shown. "

Two women are now Grand Slam tournament directors

Stacey Allaster is the tournament director for the US Open

Amelie Mauresmo is not the only woman to be appointed tournament director of a Grand Slam; former WTA Chairman and CEO Stacey Allaster also holds that position at the US Open. This is the first time that there have been two female tournament directors at Majors.

"Of course I'm proud of it," said Mauresmo. "But I hope those are the skills that got me there, more than my gender. I am proud, but I hope that this question will not arise again soon."

After excelling as a player and coach, it will be interesting to see how Mauresmo fares as Roland Garros' new tournament director.