'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Former World No. 1 and current French Open tournament director Amelie Mauresmo has won a legal battle against her ex-wife, Marie-Benedicte Hurel.
Mauresmo tied the knot with Hurel in July 2021 after beginning their relationship in 2014. Despite their long courtship, their marriage was short-lived, as the 44-year-old filed for divorce last year.
Amid the divorce proceedings, the Frenchwoman also lodged a harassment suit against her former wife at the Biarritz police station, alleging that she "was going through hell" at Hurel's hands since filing for divorce.
The two-time Grand Slam champion accused her former partner of harassing her through several insulting text messages and blackmail, which resulted in her being prescribed a total incapacity for work (ITT) for 10 days. Seeking justice, Mauresmo's lawyer pursued a 10-month suspended prison sentence for Hurel regarding these charges.
Despite being placed in police custody at Biarritz station in September 2023, Marie-Benedicte Hurel denied Amelie Mauresmo's allegations, with her lawyer contending that the text messages were not proof of harassment and branding Mauresmo's complaint as "artificial."
"The contested SMS messages are not at all harassment, but a simple discussion on day-to-day management. [There is an] instrumentalization of an artificial complaint in the perspective of divorce," Hurel's lawyer Me Thierry Sagardoytho said (via Le Parisien).
According to the French publication Le Parisien, the Bayonette court has found Hurel guilty of harassing Mauresmo, handing her a four-month prison sentence. Additionally, she has been banned from contacting the former World No. 1 for two years or going anywhere near her or her new partner's residence. However, Hurel was acquitted of the harassment charges against Mauresmo's new partner.
Amelie Mauresmo's ex-wife, Marie-Benedicte Hurel, and her lawyers will now have 10 days to appeal the court's decision.
Looking back at Amelie Mauresmo's career achievements
Amelie Mauresmo enjoyed a hugely successful 16-year career on the WTA tour. The Frenchwoman won two Grand Slam titles during her time on tour. She secured her maiden Major title at the 2006 Australian Open after Justine Henin retired from the final due to stomach cramps. The Frenchwoman led 6-1, 2-0 at the time of Henin's retirement.
Later that same year, Mauresmo and Henin locked horns in the Wimbledon Championships final, where the Frenchwoman claimed a 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory to clinch her second Grand Slam title.
Amelie Mauresmo won a total of 25 tour-level titles, one of which came at the 2005 WTA Finals, with her defeating Mary Pierce 5-7, 7-6(3), 6-4 in the final. The two-time Major Champion also attained the World No. 1 ranking, holding the top spot for 39 weeks, ranking her 14th on the all-time list.
