Marion Bartoli

Marion Bartoli

Bartoli in 2013
Country (sports)  France
Residence Geneva, Switzerland
Born (1984-10-02) 2 October 1984
Le Puy-en-Velay, Haute-Loire, France
Height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[1]
Turned pro February 2000
Retired 14 August 2013
Plays Right-handed (two-handed both sides), born left-handed
Coach(es) Walter Bartoli
Amélie Mauresmo (2013)
Prize money US$11,055,114[1]
Singles
Career record 490–299 (62.1%)[1]
Career titles 8 WTA, 6 ITF
Highest ranking No. 7 (30 January 2012)
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open QF (2009)
French Open SF (2011)
Wimbledon W (2013)
US Open QF (2012)
Other tournaments
Tour Finals RR (2007, 2011)
Doubles
Career record 117–82
Career titles 3 WTA, 1 ITF titles
Highest ranking No. 15 (5 July 2004)
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open 3R (2004, 2005)
French Open 3R (2005, 2006)
Wimbledon QF (2004)
US Open SF (2003)
Team competitions
Fed Cup F (2004)
Hopman Cup F (2012)
Last updated on: 6 July 2013.

Marion Bartoli (French: [maʁjɔ̃ baʁtɔli]; born 2 October 1984) is a French former professional tennis player. She won the 2013 Wimbledon Championships singles title after previously being runner-up in 2007 and was a semifinalist at the 2011 French Open. She also won eight Women's Tennis Association singles titles and three doubles titles.[2] She announced her immediate retirement from professional tennis on 14 August 2013.

Bartoli defeated three reigning world no. 1 players in her career: Justine Henin in the semifinal of the 2007 Wimbledon Championships, Jelena Janković in the fourth round of the 2009 Australian Open, and Victoria Azarenka in the quarterfinals of the 2012 Sony Ericsson Open. She also recorded wins over other top players such as Venus and Serena Williams, Ana Ivanovic, Lindsay Davenport, Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, Dinara Safina, Caroline Wozniacki, Petra Kvitová, Samantha Stosur, and Kim Clijsters.

She was known for her unorthodox style of play using two hands on both her forehand and backhand. On 30 January 2012 she reached a career high ranking of no. 7 in the world; she returned to this ranking on 8 July 2013 after triumphing at Wimbledon. Bartoli reached at least the quarter-final stage at each of the four Grand Slams. Her win at Wimbledon made her only the sixth player in the open era to win the Championships without dropping a single set.[3] She is also the only player ever to have played at both the WTA Tour Championships and the WTA Tournament of Champions in the same year, in 2011.[4]

In July 2016 she revealed that she "feared for her life" due to an unknown virus.[5][6] However later in the month she tweeted a photo after a blood transfusion that indicated recovery was in sight. [7]

Early life and personal life

Marion Bartoli was born on 2 October 1984 in Le Puy-en-Velay, Haute-Loire.[8] She is of Corsican descent;[9][10] her family is from Palneca, Corse-du-Sud.[11][12]

Bartoli was introduced to tennis by her medical doctor father, Walter, when she was 6 years old. She would practice tennis with him late at night after school on small, icy, unevenly surfaced courts which restricted free movement and influenced her playing style. When weather was sufficiently bad, they would train in an old indoor facility where there was very limited room between baseline and the wall, meaning Bartoli became adept at playing inside the baseline. He devised original training methods, such as improving hand-eye coordination by using balls of different size and color, or encouraging Marion to stay on her toes by taping tennis balls to the heels of her shoes. He drove hundreds of kilometres to tournaments while she would do her homework in the back of the car.[13][14]

Playing style

Bartoli was known for her unorthodox and intense style of play on the court. She used two hands on both the forehand and the backhand, and was generally classed as an aggressive and hard-hitting player who played primarily from the baseline. She developed her two-handed style on the advice of her father and longtime coach, Walter Bartoli. He had seen the classic 1992 French Open final in which Monica Seles defeated Steffi Graf, and immediately was inspired to teach Seles' technique to his daughter. Bartoli had previously had trouble with her forehand, but it improved significantly when she made the switch to two hands. Her game was based on power and she used her double-fisted strokes to create sharp angles to open up the court and preferred to take the ball very early on groundstrokes. Her serve was considered a weakness but her return of serve was considered to be her biggest weapon and she often stood well inside the baseline to receive serve, even on first serves, and managed to take advantage of break point opportunities. Bartoli was not a "natural athlete" so she was not a strong mover around the court and instead relied on her excellent hand-eye coordination and anticipation skills.

Her style of play could be most closely compared to that of Seles, who had a strong influence on Bartoli as a young player. In a Tennis TV interview during the 2012 U.S. Open tournament, Bartoli explained that both Seles and she are left-handed, and that she had a very weak forehand before changing to two hands.

Bartoli was not a very good mover on court, a state exacerbated by her two-fisted strokes, which made her vulnerable to fast all-court players such as Agnieszka Radwańska (whom she never beat). Bartoli did however work on her fitness and mobility throughout her career to varying success.

Bartoli was also known for her unusual serve, in which she used her wrist to generate speed. She also changed her service motion many times over the years. During the 2013 Wimbledon Championships, she had an unusual setup for serves – no ball-bouncing, arms crossed, right wrist resting on her left thumb before the toss.[14]

Bartoli manifested unusual on-court mannerisms, such as energetically bouncing on the spot and practising racquet swings between points, and being noticeably restless during changeovers. She claimed that this was to maintain the focus needed for her intense style of play.[15]

Relationship with her father

Bartoli's father, who had no background in tennis, had years earlier retired from his career as a medical doctor to learn how to become a tennis coach and coach her to become a professional tennis player.[16][17] Bartoli denies allegations that her close relationship with her father is a public show to hide a dominating parent. She has resisted pressure to play without him, including giving up the chance to play at the Olympics in London in 2012 because she would not play in the Fed Cup without his private coaching.[18] On 10 February 2013, Bartoli announced that the coaching setup with her father, who had been her coach throughout her tennis career, had come to an end by mutual agreement. Bartoli stated at the time that she would be working with physical trainer Nicolas Perrotte and former player Gabriel Urpi until she found a new coach who could take her to the next level and help her win her first Grand Slam singles title.[19] On 9 March 2013, it was announced on the WTA website that Bartoli was being coached by Jana Novotná, but they cancelled the coaching arrangement after just one week (it ended after the conclusion of the Indian Wells Masters tournament). She was then coached by former World No. 1 and Wimbledon Champion Amélie Mauresmo.[20] Bartoli won the 2013 Wimbledon Championships with Mauresmo acting as her coach.

Equipment

Bartoli retired whilst using the Prince EXO 3 Warrior racquet. She had previously used the Prince EXO3 Black and the Prince O3 Red. All her Prince racquets were specially modified in New York to make them longer by 2.0 inches (to 29 inches) than standard racquets to give her better reach with her two-handed strokes. She started using the 29 inch frames in 2006 and soon won her first tournament in Auckland. For many years she had no clothing sponsor, but wore Nike. In October 2011, she signed a three-year clothing deal with Lotto. Before her breakthrough into the top 100, Bartoli was playing with a standard length Babolat racquet and she was wearing Le Coq Sportif apparel. Due to her small hands, her racquets had a very small grip size of 0.

Tennis career

Early years

Bartoli started entering tournaments regularly at the age of 16. After a few aborted starts in 1999 and 2000, she played in the ITF $10,000 clay events in the spring of 2001. Winning two tournaments back to back in May (in Hatfield and Torino) ensured that she would be given a wildcard into her first Grand Slam, the French Open, where she lost to Catalina Castaño in the first round. Bartoli also won another tournament in Koksijde, Belgium.

In 2002 she received a wildcard into the Australian Open. She lost to Tina Pisnik in three sets. She then won her fourth ITF title in Columbus, Ohio. She followed that with a first-round exit at the French Open, losing in three sets to Ai Sugiyama. In the US Open where she qualified, she defeated Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, which was Bartoli's first win over a player in the top 100. She followed that with a win over Rossana de los Ríos, before losing to fourth seed Lindsay Davenport.

2003: US Open doubles semifinal

Bartoli began 2003 by coming through the qualifying draw in the Canberra Women's Classic to reach her first WTA semifinal, where she lost to Francesca Schiavone. At the Australian Open, where she earned her place in a Grand Slam through her ranking for the first time, she lost to 11th seed Magdalena Maleeva in the first round. She qualified for Key Biscayne, Florida and made it to the quarterfinals, after Lindsay Davenport retired in their fourth-round match due to injury. In the quarterfinal she lost to Serena Williams.[21]

In the Internationaux de Strasbourg Bartoli reached the quarterfinals, where she lost to Vera Zvonareva. At the 2003 French Open, she earned another victory over Rossana de los Ríos, but lost to Jennifer Capriati in the second round. At her first Wimbledon, she drew the ninth seed Daniela Hantuchová in the first round, and lost.

At the Acura Classic Bartoli defeated her first top-20 player, Meghann Shaughnessy, before losing to Kim Clijsters in the third round. At the US Open she lost to Hantuchová in the first round. But in doubles, she reached her first and only semifinal of doubles at Grand Slams. At the end of the year, she reached the quarterfinals of Bell Challenge, losing to Milagros Sequera.

2004

Bartoli began 2004 by getting to her first Women's Tennis Association (WTA) semifinal in the season-opener in Auckland. She then got to the second round of the Australian Open for the first time, losing to 22nd-seeded Patty Schnyder.

In February Bartoli played at the 2004 Hyderabad Open, where she defeated Ankita Bhambri, Galina Fokina, and Mervana Jugić-Salkić to reach the semifinals, before losing to eventual champion Nicole Pratt. This performance briefly made her a top-50 player.

Bartoli refound her doubles form of late 2003. Partnering compatriot Émilie Loit, she reached the semifinals of Acapulco, the quarterfinals of Indian Wells, and then Bartoli won her first WTA tour doubles title in Casablanca.

After a forgettable singles clay-court season (culminating in her second loss to Sugiyama at her native Grand Slam event), she climbed back up the rankings by reaching the third round of Wimbledon (losing to Sugiyama for the second successive Grand Slam). She also got to the quarterfinals of Wimbledon in doubles, partnering Loit for the second successive Grand Slam (they had failed to get beyond the second round of the French Open). Bartoli got to her third singles semifinal of the year in Cincinnati, before pulling out of her match with Lindsay Davenport with a blister on her right hand. She reached the second round of the US Open, despite being drawn against 32nd-seeded Meghann Shaughnessy in the first round. She lost to Russian Vera Douchevina in the second round.

In the absence of Amélie Mauresmo and Mary Pierce due to injuries, Bartoli received her debut Fed Cup call-up for France's semifinals against Spain. She was teamed with Loit again and helped complete a 5–0 whitewash of the Spanish team. In the final against Russia, Bartoli's and Loit's doubles match against Myskina and Vera Zvonareva was the decisive rubber. The Russian pair won, earning the Fed Cup for Russia for the first time. As a result, Bartoli's team leader Guy Forget resigned, and she was not chosen by the new team leader Georges Goven to play in 2005.[22]

She ended 2004 ranked world no. 41, having gone 30–24 over the year. Her hard-court record was 23–13, with clay going 4–7, grass 3–3, and carpet 0–1.

2005

Marion Bartoli at the 2005 JP Morgan Chase Open.

After a promising start (semifinals in Auckland and quarterfinals in Canberra), which took her to world no. 32 and winning the second doubles tournament of her career in Pattaya City, injury disrupted the second quarter of 2005. The only match Bartoli played in the clay-court season was her straight-sets first-round loss to Shahar Pe'er at the French Open (where she was seeded for the first time, 28th). Her quarterfinal run at Eastbourne (where she had to retire hurt) led her to a career-high ranking of no. 27 at the start of Wimbledon, where she lost to Jill Craybas in the second round.

Highlights of the year were reaching the third round of the US Open for the second time (losing to Sania Mirza) and making her second Women's Tennis Association semifinal of the year (and fifth of her career) in Québec.

Her end-of-season statistics were 35–26, albeit padded by a victory in a satellite tournament in Doha at the end of the year. She went 30–21 on hard courts, 0–1 on clay, 3–3 on grass, and 2–1 on carpet. She was now ranked world no. 40.

2006: First WTA title and top 20

In January 2006, Bartoli at 21 years of age won her first senior title at the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand, beating Vera Zvonareva in the final. She then lost in the second round of the first three Grand Slam events of the year (losing to Roberta Vinci in Australia, Jelena Janković at the French Open, and Karolina Šprem at Wimbledon, all in three sets), but she won her third career doubles title by capturing the ECM Prague Open with Shahar Pe'er in May.

The North American summer hard-court season was very productive for Bartoli, as she reached the third round (and in some cases that meant the quarterfinals) of five of the seven tournaments she entered, including the US Open, where she again lost in the third round, this time to seventh-seeded Patty Schnyder. The following week she beat Schnyder en route to her second final of the year in Bali, where she lost to world no. 5 Svetlana Kuznetsova.

In October Bartoli won her second Women's Tennis Association (WTA) singles title at the AIG Japan Open Tennis Championships, beating Aiko Nakamura in the final. This was the first ever WTA final contested by two players using two-handed strokes on both the forehand and backhand.[23] As a result of winning the title, Bartoli broke into the top 20 for the first time. In her last event of the year, she captured the Bell Challenge in Quebec City, defeating Olga Puchkova without losing a game in the final.

Bartoli finished the year ranked world no. 17. Her record was 45–28, her best on tour so far. That consisted of 37–17 on hard courts, 4–6 on clay, 3–3 on grass, and 1–2 on carpet. She was 3–6 against top-10 players.

2007: First Grand Slam final

Marion Bartoli at the 2007 Acura Classic.

Bartoli began 2007 with another second-round exit at the Australian Open, this time falling to Victoria Azarenka. In the clay-court season, she reached the final of the ECM Prague Open in May, losing to Akiko Morigami. After reaching the semifinals in Strasbourg, she lost to Amélie Mauresmo. Bartoli reached her first career Grand Slam fourth round at the French Open by defeating Aravane Rezaï, Andrea Petkovic, and 13th seed Elena Dementieva. In the fourth round, she was knocked out by fourth seed Jelena Janković, though Bartoli injured her back during this match. In the grass-court season, she reached the semifinals at Birmingham, where she lost to Maria Sharapova. She also reached the semifinals at Eastbourne, but lost to world no. 1 Justine Henin.

At Wimbledon, Bartoli made her Grand Slam breakthrough by advancing to her first Grand Slam final, after defeating top-seeded Justine Henin in the semifinal, in one of the biggest upsets in Wimbledon history.[24] Bartoli lost the first set, and claimed afterwards that the reason for her turnaround in the match was seeing Pierce Brosnan in the royal box and being determined to play well in front of one of her favourite actors. In the final, Bartoli lost to three-time former champion Venus Williams. As a result of her Wimbledon performance, she rose to a career high of no. 11 in the Women's Tennis Association rankings. At the US Open, Bartoli reached the fourth round for the first time by defeating world no. 25 Lucie Šafářová. In the fourth round, she lost to Grand Slam champion Serena Williams. At the Fortis Championships in Luxembourg, she reached her first semifinal since her Wimbledon run, but then lost to Daniela Hantuchová.

At the Tier I event in Zürich Bartoli reached the quarterfinals, where she retired due to injury in her match against Tatiana Golovin.[25] Despite her injury, Bartoli played at the Generali Ladies Linz in Austria, and reached the semifinals, where she was defeated by Patty Schnyder. This ended her hopes of reaching the WTA Tour Championships. However, after Serena Williams withdrew from the tournament due to injury,[26] Bartoli entered the event and played in the yellow group, where she lost to Justine Henin without winning a game, but defeated Jelena Janković after the Serbian retired. Her final record for the year was 47–31, with 19–16 on hard courts, 14–7 on clay, 12–3 on grass, and 2–5 on carpet. Her record against top-10 players was 4–8. Despite not having earned a single title all year, she ended the year as a top-10 player at no. 10.

2008

At the Australian Open, Bartoli was upset by Sofia Arvidsson after Bartoli was up a break in both the second and third sets. At the Open Gaz de France, Bartoli made it to the semifinals following easy wins over Virginie Razzano and Dominika Cibulková. In her semifinal she lost to Anna Chakvetadze

Bartoli at the 2008 Pilot Pen Tennis tournament, where she beat Tsvetana Pironkova 2–6, 6–4, 7–5

At the French Open, she played through injury and was defeated by Casey Dellacqua in the first round. At Eastbourne, she defeated Sybille Bammer and Alisa Kleybanova and reached the semifinals, where she lost to eventual champion Agnieszka Radwańska. At Wimbledon, she was seeded 11th and defeated Sabine Lisicki and Tathiana Perebiynis. She was then upset by Bethanie Mattek, suffering calf and shoulder injuries.

Seeded sixth at Stanford, Bartoli defeated Akgul Amanmuradova, Anne Keothavong, defending champion Anna Chakvetadze, and Ai Sugiyama, to move into her first final since Wimbledon in 2007. In the final, Bartoli lost to the Canadian qualifier Aleksandra Wozniak. In Montreal, she beat Melanie South, Anna Chakvetadze and Ai Sugiyama to reach the semifinals, where she was defeated by Dominika Cibulková. At the US Open, Bartoli was seeded 12th and beat Galina Voskoboeva, Virginia Ruano Pascual and former champion and 23rd seed Lindsay Davenport to reach the fourth round, where she lost to 29th-seeded Sybille Bammer.

2009: Australian Open quarterfinal

Bartoli's first event during the new WTA calendar was the inaugural Brisbane International. She was seeded third and defeated Monika Wejnert, Melinda Czink, and Tathiana Garbin. During the semifinal against Amélie Mauresmo, the latter had to retire due to injury; securing Bartoli a place in the final, which she lost to Victoria Azarenka.

Seeded 16th at the Australian Open, Bartoli defeated Melanie South, Tsvetana Pironkova, Lucie Šafářová and top seed Jelena Janković to reach the quarterfinals, where she lost to 7th seed Vera Zvonareva. Bartoli won her fourth career title at the Monterrey Open. Seeded 2nd, she beat Michaëlla Krajicek, Magdaléna Rybáriková, Vania King, and Zheng Jie to reach the final, where she defeated unseeded Li Na.

In Charleston, Bartoli was seeded sixth and defeated Anastasija Sevastova, Melanie Oudin, and Melinda Czink to reach the semifinals, where she lost to eventual champion Sabine Lisicki. At the French Open, Bartoli won her opening match against fellow Frenchwoman Pauline Parmentier, but was then defeated by Tathiana Garbin in the second round. Seeded 12th at Wimbledon, Bartoli defeated Chan Yung-jan without losing a game in the first round. She then defeated Timea Bacsinszky in the second round, but fell to Francesca Schiavone in the third.

Marion Bartoli at the 2009 US Open.

Bartoli played her first tournament of the US Open Series in Stanford as eighth seed. She won the title by defeating Ayumi Morita, Melanie Oudin, Jelena Janković, Samantha Stosur in the semifinals, and second seed Venus Williams in the final, to win her second title of the year and fifth overall.[27] Seeded 14th at the 2009 US Open, Bartoli beat Rossana de los Ríos, but lost to eventual champion Kim Clijsters. At the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, Bartoli was seeded 14th and reached the quarterfinals, where she lost to 7th seed Jelena Janković.

Seeded 14, Bartoli reached the semifinals of the China Open in Beijing. She defeated Magdaléna Rybáriková, Alisa Kleybanova, Zhang Shuai, and Vera Zvonareva. In the semifinals, she lost to 12th seed Agnieszka Radwańska. At the 2009 Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions in Bali, Bartoli defeated Rybáriková, and qualified for the semifinals when she beat Shahar Pe'er. She then defeated Kimiko Date-Krumm. In the final against Aravane Rezaï Bartoli retired due to injury.

2010: Without a final

Bartoli started her year as the 11th seed at the 2010 Australian Open. She defeated Rossana de los Ríos in the first round and Sandra Záhlavová in the second. In the third round she lost to unseeded and eventual semifinalist Zheng Jie. At the 2010 Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, Bartoli defeated Magdaléna Rybáriková, Gisela Dulko, top seed and world no. 4 Svetlana Kuznetsova, and Yanina Wickmayer to reach the semifinals, where she lost to world no. 5 Venus Williams.

In the 2010 French Open Bartoli was the 12th seed and French no. 1. She beat Maria Elena Camerin in the first round and compatriot and wildcard Olivia Sanchez in the second, but was defeated by Shahar Pe'er in the third round. Bartoli was seeded 8th at the Aegon International at Eastbourne. She defeated Vera Dushevina, Ágnes Szávay and María José Martínez Sánchez to reach the semifinals for the fourth consecutive year. In the semifinal she lost to Victoria Azarenka. Bartoli was seeded 11th at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships. She defeated Julia Görges in the first round, then moved straight into the third round after Petra Martić withdrew from the tournament with suspected injury. In the third round she defeated qualifier Gréta Arn, before falling in the fourth round to eventual semifinalist Tsvetana Pironkova.

At the 2010 Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, California, where she was defending her title, she defeated Ashley Harkleroad and Ana Ivanovic to reach the quarterfinals, where she lost to Victoria Azarenka. Bartoli also reached the quarterfinals at the 2010 Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open in Cincinnati, after defeating Anabel Medina Garrigues, Alona Bondarenko and world no. 3 Caroline Wozniacki. In the quarterfinals, she was defeated by 10th seed Maria Sharapova. Bartoli managed a further quarterfinal appearance at the Rogers Cup in Montreal, where she was seeded 17th. In the quarterfinals, she was defeated for the third time this year by 10th seed Victoria Azarenka. At her final tournament before the US Open, the 2010 Pilot Pen Tennis tournament in New Haven, Bartoli was seeded 6th and defeated Alona Bondarenko and Anastasia Rodionova to reach the quarterfinals, where she lost to 4th seed Elena Dementieva.

At the 2010 US Open, Bartoli was seeded 13th and defeated Edina Gallovits in the first round. In the second round, she was upset by world no. 157 and French compatriot Virginie Razzano. At the 2010 HP Open in Osaka, Japan, Bartoli was seeded 2nd behind Samantha Stosur. She reached the semifinals by defeating Julie Coin, Stefanie Vögele and Jill Craybas, then lost in the semifinal to Tamarine Tanasugarn. Bartoli ended the year at world no. 16 with a total record of 34–21 and a record of 2–4 against top-10 players.

2011: French Open semifinal and lone Premier Mandatory/5 final

Marion Bartoli at the 2011 French Open semifinal.

Bartoli kicked off her 2011 season at the 2011 Brisbane International. She was seeded fourth and reached the semifinals, where she was defeated by Andrea Petkovic. Bartoli was top seeded at the 2011 Moorilla Hobart International in her first appearance at the tournament. She lost to fifth seed Klára Zakopalová in the quarterfinals.

Bartoli was seeded 15th at the 2011 Australian Open, where she defeated Tathiana Garbin in the first round without losing a game. She lost against Vesna Manasieva is the second round, though Bartoli suffered an injury in the first set. At the 2011 Qatar Ladies Open in Doha, Bartoli was unseeded but reached the semifinals, where she lost to world no. 1 and top seed Caroline Wozniacki. Bartoli was seeded 2nd at the 2011 BMW Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur, where she reached the quarterfinals and lost to 5th seed Lucie Šafářová. Bartoli was seeded 15th at the 2011 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells. She defeated Monica Niculescu, Andrea Petkovic, Kim Clijsters (who retired with an injury), Ana Ivanovic and Yanina Wickmayer to reach the final, where she lost to world no. 1 Caroline Wozniacki. It was Bartoli's first and only final of Premier Madatory/5 category. As a result of her run to the final, Bartoli returned to the top 10.

Bartoli was the top seed at the 2011 Internationaux de Strasbourg, and reached the final where she faced 2nd seed Andrea Petkovic. However she had to retire early in the second set. Seeded 11th at the 2011 French Open, Bartoli won her opening round against Anna Tatishvili. In the second round she beat Olga Govortsova, then defeated 17th seed Julia Görges in the third. She moved into the quarterfinals after Gisela Dulko retired during their fourth round match. She beat 13th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals she lost to defending champion Francesca Schiavone.

Moving onto the grass, Bartoli won the 2011 Aegon International at Eastbourne by defeating Lucie Šafářová and María José Martínez Sánchez. She then moved past third seed Victoria Azarenka when Azarenka retired during their match due to a thigh injury. Bartoli reached the semifinals for the fifth straight year and beat seventh seed Samantha Stosur. She then beat eighth seed Petra Kvitová to win the title. Bartoli was seeded 9th at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships. She defeated Czech qualifier Kristýna Plíšková in the first round, Lourdes Domínguez Lino in the second, and 21st seed Flavia Pennetta in the third. She then defeated defending champion and grass-court veteran Serena Williams in the fourth round. Bartoli described beating Williams as the greatest win of her life.[28] In the quarterfinals Bartoli was defeated by Sabine Lisicki in a match notable for taking place under the centre-court roof in the middle of a thunderstorm.

At Stanford, where Bartoli was seeded 3rd, she reached the final after Ayumi Morita, her opponent in the quarterfinals, retired, and Dominika Cibulková, her opponent in the semifinals, withdrew.[29] In the final Bartoli was defeated by Serena Williams. Due to her lack of match play before the US Open, Bartoli accepted a wildcard into the 2011 New Haven Open at Yale. She won her opening two rounds, defeating Anastasia Rodionova and Klára Zakopalová, before losing to Petra Cetkovská in the quarterfinals. At the 2011 US Open, Bartoli suffered a second-round exit. After defeating Alexandra Panova in the first round, she lost to American teenager Christina McHale. Following her poor run in the United States, Bartoli's ranking dropped to no. 10, and her RACE ranking dropped to no. 8.

Seeded seventh at the 2011 Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, Bartoli reached the quarterfinals, where she was defeated by third seed Victoria Azarenka. At the 2011 HP Open in Osaka, Bartoli defeated Melinda Czink, Vania King, 6th seed Ayumi Morita, and third seed Angelique Kerber to reach the final. She took the title by defeating top seed and US Open Champion Samantha Stosur. Bartoli finished the year 9th in the race to the Year End Championships in Istanbul, thus earning a place as the first alternate player. Following the withdrawal of second seed Maria Sharapova after her second of three matches, Bartoli took her place in the final match against Victoria Azarenka, which she won. Bartoli finished the year ranked no. 9 in the world with the best win-loss record of her career at 58–24. She reached 15 quarterfinals, 8 semifinals, and 5 finals, and won 2 titles (Eastbourne and Osaka), resulting in her best year financially, earning $1,722,863 in tournament prize money.

2012: US Open quarterfinal

Bartoli competed for France alongside Richard Gasquet in the 2012 Hopman Cup. They defeated China, Australia, and Spain to book a place against the Czech Republic in the final, which they lost. Bartoli reached the quarterfinals of her first WTA tournament of the year in Sydney and was seeded 8th. In the quarterfinal she was defeated by 3rd seed Victoria Azarenka. At the 2012 Australian Open, Bartoli defeated compatriot Virginie Razzano in the first round and Jelena Dokić in the second round. In the third round, she was upset by Zheng Jie. After the tournament Bartoli broke into the top eight in the rankings for the first time. Ranked no. 7, Bartoli was seeded 2nd for the 2012 Open GDF Suez in Paris. She received a bye into the second round, then defeated Petra Martić, Roberta Vinci and Klára Zakopalová to reach the final, which she lost to Angelique Kerber.

In Doha, Bartoli was seeded fifth and advanced to the semifinals by defeating Anabel Medina Garrigues, Tsvetana Pironkova, and Lucie Šafářová. She retired due to an injury against third seed Samantha Stosur in the semifinals. At Indian Wells, Bartoli reached the quarterfinals by defeating Varvara Lepchenko, Chanelle Scheepers, and Lucie Šafářová. She fell to Ana Ivanovic. Seeded 7th in Miami, Bartoli defeated Polona Hercog, Simona Halep, Maria Kirilenko and world no. 1 Victoria Azarenka to reach the semifinals, where she was defeated by 5th seed and eventual champion Agnieszka Radwańska.

Bartoli was seeded eighth at the 2012 French Open, where she was defending semifinal points from the previous year. Bartoli defeated qualifier Karolína Plíšková in the first round, but in the second round was upset by Petra Martić. At Eastbourne, Bartoli defeated Sorana Cîrstea, Aleksandra Wozniak, and Lucie Šafářová to reach the semifinals, where she was defeated by eventual champion Tamira Paszek. In the first round of Wimbledon, Bartoli defeated Casey Dellacqua. Her run ended with a loss to Mirjana Lučić in the second round.

Seeded 2nd at the 2012 Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, Bartoli reached the quarterfinals, where she lost to Yanina Wickmayer.[30] At the 2012 Mercury Insurance Open in Carlsbad, California, Bartoli was the top seed. She received a bye into the second round, then defeated Vania King, Christina McHale and Chan Yung-jan to reach the final, which she lost to 2nd seed and close friend Dominika Cibulková.[31]

Bartoli did not compete in the 2012 Summer Olympics, refusing to play in the Fed Cup without the coaching of her father. At the 2012 New Haven Open at Yale, Bartoli reached the quarterfinals, where she lost to Sara Errani. Bartoli reached her first US Open quarterfinals in 2012, where she upset fifth seed Petra Kvitová in the fourth round (she was ultimately defeated in the quarterfinals by Maria Sharapova); that performance marked a quarterfinals-or-better finish in all four Grand Slams for Bartoli. Next she reached the semifinals in Beijing, losing to Victoria Azarenka.

2013: Wimbledon title and retirement; life after tennis

Marion Bartoli at the 2013 Valais Cup.

Bartoli started the 2013 season by participating in a new tournament, the 2013 Shenzhen Open. She was seeded second and reached the quarterfinals, where she was defeated by fifth seed Klára Zakopalová.[32]

Bartoli was seeded 11th at the 2013 Australian Open in Melbourne. She reached the third round, where she was defeated by the 19th seed Ekaterina Makarova. At the 2013 Open GDF Suez in Paris, Bartoli reached the quarterfinals, where she was defeated by German and eventual champion Mona Barthel. Bartoli entered her first tournament without her father acting as her coach at the 2013 Qatar Total Open,[33] where she was seeded ninth. She lost to Svetlana Kuznetsova in the second round.

At the 2013 French Open Bartoli was seeded 13th. She defeated Olga Govortsova in the first round, qualifier Mariana Duque Marino in the second, but lost to Francesca Schiavone in the third.

At Wimbledon Bartoli was seeded 15th. She defeated Elina Svitolina in the first round, Christina McHale in the second, Camila Giorgi in the third, and Karin Knapp in the fourth. In the quarterfinals she defeated 17th seed Sloane Stephens, which was her first quarterfinal victory of any WTA Tour or Grand Slam event in 2013.[14] In the semifinals she beat 20th seed Kirsten Flipkens to reach her second Wimbledon final. In the final she faced 23rd seed Sabine Lisicki, who had beaten pre-tournament favorite Serena Williams and 2012 finalist Agnieszka Radwańska en route to the final. Bartoli won the match in straight sets for her first and only Grand Slam title.[34] She did not drop a set in the entire tournament. She also became the female player who participated in the most Grand Slam tournaments before winning one, as this was her 47th such tournament (breaking the previous perseverance record held by Jana Novotná, at 45).[35] Bartoli also competed in the mixed doubles alongside Nicholas Monroe. They lost in the first round to Santiago González and Natalie Grandin.

Bartoli announced her immediate retirement from tennis during the 2013 Western & Southern Open, citing continuous and increasingly unbearable pain from injuries sustained throughout her career.[36][37][38] At an emotional press conference, just 40 days after her Wimbledon victory, she said "I made my dream a reality and it will stay forever with me, but now my body just can't cope with everything. "I have pain everywhere after 45 minutes or an hour of play."[37][38]

In December 2013, Bartoli was chosen as the 2013 RTL Champion of Champions, ahead of Teddy Tamgho and Tony Parker, by RTL (a French commercial radio network). This annual sports award was inaugurated in 2008. The previous winners were Alain Bernard (2008), Sébastien Loeb (2009), Christophe Lemaitre (2010), Teddy Riner (2011) and Yannick Agnel (2012).[39]

Bartoli was chosen as the 2013 L'Équipe Champion of Champions (France female category) in December 2013.[40]

In 2014, Bartoli played for the Austin Aces' inaugural season in the World TeamTennis.

In March 2015, she posted a tweet hinting that she was considering a return to professional tennis, and asked her followers for their opinion.[41]

Rivalries

Bartoli vs. Azarenka

Bartoli and Victoria Azarenka met 12 times since 2007. Azarenka leads the head-to-head 9–3 overall and 1–0 in the Grand Slams.[42]

Bartoli struggled in the early rivalry, losing the first six meetings between the pair, including in the second round of the 2007 Australian Open, the final of the 2009 Brisbane International[43] and all four matches that eventuated in 2010. Bartoli got her first win over Azarenka in Eastbourne in 2011, winning after Azarenka retired at 2–6, 0–2 down with injury.[44] At the 2011 WTA Tour Championships, Bartoli qualified as a reserve for Maria Sharapova and in the only match she played, she upset Azarenka in three sets, winning 5–7, 6–4, 6–4.[45] The match had no meaning because Bartoli could not qualify for the semi-finals as Sharapova had lost her two matches and Azarenka had already qualified for the semi-finals.

The pair met three times in 2012, with Bartoli losing two of the matches. Her victory in the Miami quarter-finals was significant though, as it snapped Azarenka's 26-match winning streak to start the season. Bartoli won 6–3, 6–3 to record what was at the time her third victory over a reigning World No. 1.[46] Their most recent meeting was in the semi-finals of the China Open with Bartoli losing 4–6, 2–6 to the eventual champion Azarenka.[47]

Bartoli vs. Janković

Bartoli and Jelena Janković have met 9 times since 2005. Bartoli leads the head-to-head 5-4 and they are tied 2-2 at Grand Slams.

Bartoli won their first meeting in 2005 at Auckland 3-6, 7-6(6), 6-1. Janković then won their next three meetings which included two wins at the French Open in 2006 and 2007. Bartoli won the next four, including a 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 win in 2007 at Wimbledon where she went on to reach the final, and a 6-1, 6-4 win at the 2009 Australian Open against Janković who was ranked World No.1 at the time.

Their last meeting was in 2009 in Tokyo where Janković won comfortably 6-4, 6-3.

Career statistics and Major finals

Grand Slam tournaments

Singles: 2 (1–1)

Outcome Year Championship Surface Opponent Score
Runner-up2007WimbledonGrassUnited States Venus Williams4–6, 1–6
Winner2013WimbledonGrassGermany Sabine Lisicki6–1, 6–4

Singles performance timeline

This table is current through 2013 Wimbledon Championships.

Tournament20002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013W–L
Grand Slams
Australian Open A A 1R 1R 2R 2R 2R 2R 1R QF 3R 2R 3R 3R 15–12
French Open A 1R 1R 2R 1R 1R 2R 4R 1R 2R 3R SF 2R 3R 16–13
Wimbledon A A A 1R 3R 2R 2R F 3R 3R 4R QF 2R W 27–10
US Open A A 3R 1R 2R 3R 3R 4R 4R 2R 2R 2R QF A 20–11
Win–Loss 0–0 0–1 2–3 1–4 4–4 4–4 5–4 13–4 5–4 8–4 8–4 11–4 8–4 11–2 78–46

Records

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Marion Bartoli". Women's Tennis Association. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
  2. ↑ "wtatour.com -> Player profiles -> Marion Bartoli -> Stats". WTA. Archived from the original on 18 October 2010. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
  3. ↑ Aimee Lewis. "BBC Sport - Wimbledon 2013: Marion Bartoli beats Sabine Lisicki to win title". BBC Sport.
  4. ↑ How will Marion Bartoli be remembered?, The Roar, 16 August 2013
  5. ↑ "Tennis star Marion Bartoli reveals source of weight loss— an unknown virus - Fox News". 7 July 2016.
  6. ↑ "Marion Bartoli 'Fears For Her Life' With Illness Behind Weight Loss". 7 July 2016.
  7. ↑ "Tennis star Marion Bartoli shares hospital bed picture".
  8. ↑ "La biographie de Marion Bartoli" [Biography of Marion Bartoli]. Official website of Marion Bartoli (in French). Archived from the original on 11 January 2008.
  9. ↑ "Day 5 - Interview with Marion Bartoli". Official Site of Roland Garros. 28 May 2009. Archived from the original on 13 April 2010.
  10. ↑ Clément Daniez (2 June 2011). "Roland-Garros: cinq choses à savoir sur Marion Bartoli" [Roland Garros: Five things to know about Marion Bartoli]. L'Express (in French). Retrieved 9 July 2013.
  11. ↑ "La Ligue corse avec Marion Bartoli" [Corsican League with Marion Bartoli]. FFT - Ligue Corse de Tennis (French Tennis Federation - Corsican Tennis League) (in French). 2007. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
  12. ↑ Romain Jeanticou (6 July 2013). "Tennis : Marion Bartoli remporte le tournoi de Wimbledon" [Tennis: Marion Bartoli wins Wimbledon]. France 3 Corse (in French). Retrieved 9 July 2013.
  13. ↑ "I just don't want to change' - Marion Bartoli". Wimbledon website. 7 July 2013.
  14. 1 2 3 "Marion Bartoli seizes first major title". ESPN and Associated Press. 6 July 2013.
  15. ↑ "Off-Beat Marion Bartoli the Perfect Champion for Wacky 2013 Wimbledon". Bleacher Report. 6 July 2013.
  16. ↑ "Wimbledon 2013 Women's Final: Marion Bartoli finds self-belief to beat Sabine Lisicki on the greatest stage". The Independent. 7 July 2013.
  17. ↑ "Marion Bartoli`s perfect day could spark more glory". Zeenews.com and AFP. 7 July 2013.
  18. ↑ "Bartoli, Guided by Her Father, Draws Inspiration From Seles's Example". The New York Times. 26 May 2012.
  19. ↑ "Tijdlijnfoto's". Facebook.
  20. ↑ "News". WTA Tennis English. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
  21. ↑ rte.ie Contrasting fortunes for Williams sisters Archived 1 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine.
  22. ↑ 网球网 – 丢了冠军 福尔热想要放弃 (Simplified Chinese only)
  23. ↑ "Bartoli Wins All-Double-Fisted Tokyo Final". Tennis-X. 9 October 2006. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
  24. ↑ Cheese, Caroline (6 July 2007). "Bartoli stuns Henin to reach final". BBC News. Retrieved 3 March 2009.
  25. ↑ "Kuznetsova, Bartoli retire hurt". Foxsports.com.au. 20 October 2007. Retrieved 3 March 2009.
  26. ↑ Women's Tennis Association (7 November 2007). "Justine Reaches Semis; Injury Forces Serena Out". Women's Tennis Association. Retrieved 7 November 2001.
  27. ↑ "Bartoli stuns Venus to win title". BBC Sport. 2 August 2009. Retrieved 4 August 2009.
  28. ↑ "Serena loses to Bartoli in 4th round at Wimbledon". Associated Press. 27 June 2011. Retrieved 27 June 2011.
  29. ↑ Randall, Sean. "Serena Seeks First Title in a Year; Fish v. Gulbis in LA Final". Tennis X. Retrieved 31 July 2011.
  30. ↑ "Yanina Wickmayer beats error-prone Marion Bartoli to advance in Stanford". 14 July 2012.
  31. ↑ "Cibulkova triumphs at Carlsbad Open". Retrieved 23 July 2012.
  32. ↑ "Shenzhen Longgang Gemdale Open – Main Draw" (PDF). wtatennis.com. WTA. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
  33. ↑ Nguyen, Courtney (13 February 2013). "Marion Bartoli splits with father-coach, wants Amelie Mauresmo as replacement". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
  34. ↑ "Marion Bartoli overwhelms Sabine Lisicki to win Wimbledon title". Guardian. 6 July 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  35. ↑ "Wimbledon 2013: Marion Bartoli beats Sabine Lisicki to win title". BBC. 6 July 2013. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  36. ↑ "Wimbledon Champ Bartoli Retires After Latest Loss". nytimes.com. New York Times. Associated Press. 14 August 2013. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
  37. 1 2 "Tearful Wimbledon champion Bartoli retires from tennis after early exit in Cincinnati". Daily Mail. 15 August 2013. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
  38. 1 2 "Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli announces her retirement". BBC Sport. 15 August 2013. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
  39. ↑ "Marion Bartoli élue championne des championnes 2013 par RTL". RTL. 13 Dec 2013.
  40. ↑ "Nadal, Serena win 2013 Men's, Women's Champions of the Champions award". Hindustan Times. 20 Dec 2013.
  41. ↑ "Marion Bartoli hints at return to tennis 18 months after retirement". the Guardian.
  42. ↑ "V. Azarenka – M. Bartoli Head to Head Game Statistics, Tennis Tournament Results – Tennis Statistics Wettpoint". Tennis.wettpoint.com.
  43. ↑ "Teenage Azarenka wins Brisbane International – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)". Abc.net.au. 10 January 2009.
  44. ↑ "V. Azarenka – M. Bartoli Match Result, Statistics 16/06/2011 – Tennis Statistics Wettpoint". Tennis.wettpoint.com.
  45. ↑ "WTA Istanbul – Azarenka loses to reserve player Bartoli". Tennisworldusa.org. 29 October 2011.
  46. ↑ "Azarenka's streak snapped by Bartoli – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)". Abc.net.au. 29 March 2012.
  47. ↑ Associated, The (6 October 2012). "Azarenka beats Bartoli to set up China Open final against Sharapova – Yahoo! News". News.yahoo.com.
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Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Camille Muffat		 French Sportswoman of the Year
2013 		Succeeded by
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot


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