Mauresmo falling in love with grass

Amelie Mauresmo, heading for a semifinal showdown with Wimbledon champion Serena Williams, is finally falling in love with grass.

France's Amelie Mauresmo, heading for a semi-final showdown with Wimbledon champion Serena Williams, is finally falling in love with grass.

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"I have some pretty good feeling and a good sensation on this surface," said the fourth seed after easing into the Wimbledon quarter-finals with an impressive 7-5 6-3 victory over Italian Silvia Farina Elia.

"It took me a few years to understand how to play on this surface and now I'm starting to feel comfortable. So it's a very good feeling actually," said the broad-shouldered 24-year-old, who grew up playing on clay courts.

"It is pretty difficult to adjust on this surface, So I'm pretty happy about my game."

Mauresmo was beaten by Serena Williams in the Wimbledon semi-finals two years ago and was then forced to miss out last year because of a rib injury.

But she felt her form this year was comparable to her play at Wimbledon in 2002.

"I think I'm serving pretty well," she said. "So I'm trying to take advantage of the fact that I'm feeling comfortable to go to the net, to volley. I'm enjoying myself doing that."

POWER SHIFT

Mauresmo said that the balance of power in tennis had shifted since she lost the Wimbledon semi-final to Serena, who herself came back in March after eight months off with injury.

"I think it's another story now," she said. "Actually I haven't seen her play so far in the tournament but I guess my coach has.

"I don't know if she played a good game but she seemed to have a little bit more trouble going through her matches."

Nine-times Wimbledon champion Martina Navratilova has tipped Mauresmo to win the women's singles this year.

"It's a huge compliment," Mauresmo said. "To me, she invented the game on this surface."

But if she is to win, the Frenchwoman must first get past her quarter-final opponent, Argentine ninth seed Paola Suarez, who was a semi-final loser at Roland Garros earlier this month.

"Obviously she is playing well," said Mauresmo. "She's in big confidence. She played the semi-final at the French Open and coming here she is already in the quarters.

"She's more a claycourt type player. But obviously with the grass being a little slow here this year, she handles it very well. It's going to be a tough one."

Mauresmo, considered one of the most talented players never to have won grand slam, was then asked if she felt her career would be incomplete without a win in a major.

"Whoa, I'm not done yet," she said. "I'm not done yet with my career yet so maybe we'll talk about that in a few years."