26-year-old French tennis player Amelie Mauresmo won her first Grand Slam title this weekend when she beat Belgian player Justine Henin-Hardenne in the Australian Open.

The last time Mauresmo played in a Grand Slam final was seven years ago, when she lost to Swiss player Martina Hingis, who famously called Mauresmo a "half man", in reference to her broad shoulders and her not-so-secret sexual orientation.

Shortly afterwards, Mauresmo came out publicly as a lesbian, and she remains one of the only openly gay players in professional tennis today.

In the last seven years, Mauresmo has worked tirelessly towards securing a Grand Slam victory, playing in over 30 Slam tournaments. In September of 2004, she became the top-ranked women's player in the world, but was not considered by some to be worthy of the title because she was the only woman to have ever held that position without winning a Grand Slam title.

Meanwhile, she has weathered injuries and taunts from the press and other players about both her sexual orientation, and her perceived inability to handle pressure, which she worked hard to ignore while steadfastly focusing on her training.

All of this made Mauresmo's victory this weekend a moment of great celebration for her and her fans. "It's been such a long time, and yet I still don't know what to say," Mauresmo told the press after the win. "All the people that still believed in me, after seven years--it's a long time. Not only myself, but people who're working with me, believed me and pushed me, even when I was down. Maybe we found the way, maybe we'll try to keep going."

French president Jacques Chirac sent a handwritten message to Mauresmo congratulating her on her win. "Bravo! It's really splendid!" he wrote. "France is moved and extends its heartfelt congratulations to you! Thanks to you, French tennis is once again honoured."

The only sour note to Mauresmo's win at the Australian Open was the fact that Henin-Hardenne retired with stomach pain before the match was finished, so that Mauresmo "did not win her first grand slam title in the way she deserved", as Australia's The Age opined.

But Sports Illustrated columnist John Wertheim echoed the sentiments being expressed by many sports commentators when he wrote, "All credit to Amelie Mauresmo on her first Grand Slam title. Far as we're concerned, there are no footnotes or asterisks here. She played superior tennis for two weeks. She arrived in peak physical condition. She discharged her duties like a pro. Who cares that she never got to match point in three of her last five matches? That's not her problem."

In fact, if anyone's reputation has suffered from the tournament, it is Henin-Hardenne's, whose decision to quit in the middle of the match while she was far behind Mauresmo--and to be less than complimentary of Mauresmo in a press conference after the match--has drawn criticism from many.

But Mauresmo and her coach are just focused on her success. “I now have achieved everything I wanted in my career: Fed Cup, being number one and winning a grand slam," Mauresmo told the press. "So I’m very proud of that, I have to say. I’m probably the proudest woman for now.” She credits her win to finally bringing together the three essentials to be a champion: "tennis (technique), physical and mental".

"This win will be very helpful and I think it will make for a very good year for her," said her coach of four years, Loic Courteau. "I think a Slam will be easier for her now. And I think she can win one or two this year. I think Wimbledon is her best chance and the French also."

Will this be just the first of many wins in 2006 for Mauresmo? Tennis fans won't have to wait long to find out: her next tournament is next week, at the Paris Open.

But regardless of what happens next, Mauresmo's victory this weekend, and her willingness to be openly gay despite the consequences, reminds us of why she remains an inspiration for tennis players, sports fans, and lesbian athletes alike.