Amelie Mauresmo will be reaching for the corkscrew the moment she gets home after winning her first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open on Saturday.

Several years ago, the Frenchwoman bought herself a vintage bottle of Sauternes wine but vowed never to open it until she won her first Grand Slam.

The 1937 Chateau d'Yquem, a dessert white wine, has been maturing in the cellar of her Geneva home ever since, but is finally about to be uncorked after Mauresmo broke through to win at Melbourne Park.

"I've been waiting so long for this and really worked hard for this," she told a news conference following her victory over Justine Henin-Hardenne. "It's a really great achievement, so I think I deserve this."

Mauresmo was a champion junior, winning the 1996 French and Wimbledon junior titles, and was quick to make her impact in the seniors, reaching the 1999 Australian Open as a teenager.

But her first experience in a Grand Slam final was an unpleasant one. Not only did she lose to Martina Hingis [Images] but had to face personal questions about her sexuality and athletic frame after Hingis described her as "half a man".

Mauresmo recovered from her ordeal to become one of the most consistent performers in the sport at a time when women's tennis has more depth than ever.

She won a Fed Cup, became the first Frenchwoman to top the world rankings and made the quarter-finals or better in 13 of her last 15 grand slams before heading to Melbourne.

Despite her consistency, Mauresmo was branded a choker for her failure to reach another Grand Slam final, let alone win one.

However, the 26-year-old partly silenced her critics when she won last year's season-ending tour championship in Los Angeles, showing she had the mental toughness to go with physical strength.

"I'm here because I won in LA," she said. "Although it was not a Grand Slam, I proved to myself I could win a big one against the greatest players.

"That gave me a lot of confidence coming here, knowing that I could do it."

NIGGLING INJURIES

Mauresmo's career has also been dogged by misfortune. She has endured years of niggling injuries but said her win in Australia had balanced the ledger.

"I have achieved everything I wanted in my career: Fed Cup, being No. 1 and winning a Grand Slam," she said.

"So I'm very proud of that, I have to say. I'm probably the proudest woman for now.

"I can really be pretty relaxed now about the way I walk on court and the way I play. There's really not too much to prove anymore."

The only disappointment was the way the final against Henin-Hardenne ended.

Mauresmo was well on course for victory after opening up a 6-1, 2-0 lead when the Belgian eighth seed suddenly quit, saying she felt sick in the stomach.

Mauresmo's immediate response was subdued. She spent several minutes speaking to Henin-Hardenne about the nature of her illness then sat quietly in her chair as the realisation of her achievement began to sink in.

"I knew that the tournament was mine but it was very strange," she said.

"I don't know what happened exactly, but I was ready to die on the court today.

"I probably would have reacted differently if the match went to the end but the joy is still there. No-one can take that away from me."

"I've also had some bad moments myself. It hasn't been easy."

• Complete tennis coverage
• All you want to know about Sania Mirza