Amelie Mauresmo hits back at snipers

Newly-crowned world No. 1 Mauresmo hit back at critics who claim she needs to have won a Grand Slam to justify the honour.

Newly-crowned world number one Amelie Mauresmo has hit back at critics who claim that she needs to have won a Grand Slam title to justify being called the sport's best player.

HT Image

The French 25-year-old deposed Justine Henin-Hardenne at the top of the WTA rankings on Friday without having to lift a racket when her rival for the number one place Lindsay Davenport was knocked of the US Open in the semi-finals by Svetlana Kuznetsova.

"The points system has existed for 30 years and it's not for me to criticise it," said Mauresmo, the first Frenchwoman to hold top spot.

"This is something I want to keep. It has happened for me. I couldn't achieve it before because of injury but it is something I have searched for."

Mauresmo's best Grand Slam performance remains her Australian Open runners-up spot in 1999 while, this year, she was a semi-finalist at the French Open and Wimbledon.