PARIS — Amélie Mauresmo made it past the quarterfinals at every Grand Slam tournament except the one that mattered most to her, the French Open.
That had nothing to do with her clay-court prowess. She was terrific on the surface, winning the Italian Open twice and the German Open twice. She was terrific elsewhere, too, winning the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2006 and becoming the first Frenchwoman to reach No. 1 in singles since computer rankings started in 1973.
It was the expectations — hers and those of her compatriots — that caused the trouble at Roland Garros, the site of the French Open and the national tennis center, where she had lived as a teenager.