Champion Bartoli’s tears for Bally
REIGNING Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli wept as she stepped out on Centre Court for the first time since lifting the trophy last summer.
The French tennis star, who has since been forced to retire due to a shoulder injury, became emotional after she received a standing ovation from the crowd.
It was all the more poignant because she was taking part in a commemorative coin toss in honour of Scots tennis ace Elena Baltacha, a former British number one, who died of liver cancer last month aged 30.
The 29-year-old wiped away tears before she performed the toss with Elle Robus-Miller, a nine-year-old pupil at The Elena Baltacha Academy of Tennis, in Ipswich. She later apologised for her tears, tweeting: ‘I m sorry I got so emotional. I couldn’t hold my tears being on the Centre Court & supporting #rally4bally, referring to Baltacha’s charity.
Last year, Miss Bartoli was the victim of sexist remarks by BBC commentator John Inverdale, who suggested she had become so successful because she was ‘never going to be a looker’.
However, the pair worked together at the French Open last month and she proved she had put the comments behind her by sitting on the BBC sofa yesterday to give her verdict on her fellow players.
Asked about the episode earlier in the week, she laughed and said she had a ‘very short memory’, adding: ‘Last year for me it was all about winning Wimbledon.’