Bartoli to make court comeback
Marion Bartoli, the 2013 Wimbledon champion, is planning to come out of retirement and return to the tennis tour next season.
The 33-year-old Frenchwoman made the announcement on Twitter on Tuesday.
“Hi, guys. I have something to tell you: I am coming back. It’s going to be a huge challenge,” Bartoli said in a video message.
“I’m really looking forward to being on the court again... especially in Paris at Roland Garros in my home country, but also for the Fed Cup and Wimbledon.
“I have still a lot of practice ahead of me, but I am hoping to be ready for March and the Miami Open.”
Bartoli surprisingly won her only Grand Slam title at Wimbledon as the 15th seed four years ago.
Less than two months later, after losing a match at another tournament, she abruptly retired from professional tennis aged 28.
Speaking to Eurosport, Bartoli said: “I tried to keep this secret for as long as possible, but it has become inevitable that I must tell the whole world.”
She said she has three objectives in her second spell: “To win the Fed Cup, play at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, and win one of the majors.”
Bartoli was an original player — and personality — on the circuit.
She hit two-fisted shots for forehands and backhands, just like her idol, Monica Seles, whom Bartoli recalled admiring when she was only seven years old.
Bartoli was coached by her father, a doctor, who was responsible for coming up with many of the idiosyncrasies in her game.
Peculiarly, she would cross her arms before serving, never bounce the ball before a toss, would stand well inside the baseline to receive an opponent’s serve, and would hop on the spot or take practice swings between points.
Bartoli has won eight WTA Tour titles and reached a career-high ranking of seventh in 2012, before carving out a successful career as a television pundit after retiring.
Her first big breakthrough came in 2007, reaching the Wimbledon final before losing in straight sets to Venus Williams.
Six years later, she enjoyed a magical two-week run at the All England Club. Bartoli never dropped a set throughout the tournament, slamming down championship point with an ace to beat Sabine Lisicki of Germany 6-1, 6-4 in the final.
A year later, Bartoli became the first woman in 17 years to decline to try to defend her Wimbledon title.
At a news conference before the 2014 tournament, Bartoli tugged at the collar of her top to reveal strips of blue tape providing support for her right shoulder and explained: “Literally, I can’t even lift my arm every morning.”
That, she said, was why she harbored “definitely no regrets at all” about walking away from tennis back then.
Since retirement she has moved on to other pursuits, including TV commentary, launching a shoe line and designing jewelry.
In 2016, Bartoli contracted a mystery virus that caused dramatic weight loss.
She said that she feared for her life after pulling out of an exhibition event that year. A month later, however, Bartoli said she was “on the road to recovery”.
Bartoli was the last French player to win a Grand Slam singles tournament, and is the only one to have lifted a major since Amelie Mauresmo (Wimbledon 2006).
Her comeback is reminiscent of those made by the likes of Belgians Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin, and Swiss Martina Hingis.
Clijsters returned to the WTA Tour in 2009 after two years in retirement, before claiming back-to-back US Open titles and the 2011 Australian Open crown.
Hingis had plenty of success on the doubles circuit after making her second comeback in 2013, and retired for a third time earlier this year.