Marion Bartoli (French:[maʁjɔ̃baʁtɔli]; born 2 October 1984) is a French former professionaltennis player. Bartoli won the2013 Wimbledon Championships singles title, after previously being runner-up in2007, and was a semifinalist at the2011 French Open. She also won seven singles and three doubles titles on theWTA Tour.[2]
Bartoli was known for her unorthodox style of play, using both hands on her forehand and backhand. On 30 January 2012, she reached a career-high ranking of world No. 7; she returned to this ranking on 8 July 2013, after triumphing atWimbledon. Bartoli reached the quarterfinals at each of the fourmajors. Her win at Wimbledon made her only the sixth player in theOpen Era to win the title without losing a set.[3] She is also one of only three players to have played at both theWTA Tour Championships and theWTA Tournament of Champions (later renamed theWTA Elite Trophy) in the same year (2011); the other two beingKiki Bertens andSofia Kenin.[4]
Bartoli was introduced to tennis by her father, Walter, when she was six years old and often trained on small, icy courts or in cramped indoor spaces, shaping her aggressive style. Her father used creative drills to improve her coordination and kept her agile. She traveled to tournaments with him, doing homework on the road.[10][11]
In December 2019, Bartoli married Belgian football playerYahya Boumediene. Their daughter was born a year later.[12]
Bartoli started entering tournaments regularly at the age of 16. After a few aborted starts in 1999 and 2000, she played in the $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, theFrench Open, where she lost toCatalina Castaño in the first round. Bartoli also won another tournament inKoksijde, Belgium.
In 2002, she received a wildcard into theAustralian Open. She lost toTina Pisnik in three sets. She then won her fourth ITF title inColumbus, Ohio. She followed that with a first-round exit at the French Open, losing in three sets toAi Sugiyama. In theUS 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 overRossana de los Ríos, before losing to fourth seed Lindsay Davenport.
Bartoli began 2003 by coming through the qualifying draw in theCanberra International to reach her first WTA Tour semifinal, where she lost toFrancesca Schiavone. At the Australian Open where she earned her place in a major through her ranking for the first time, she lost to 11th seedMagdalena Maleeva in the first round. She qualified forKey Biscayne 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.[13]
At theSan Diego Open, 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 ofBell Challenge, losing toMilagros Sequera.
Bartoli began the season by getting to her first WTA semifinal in the season-opener inAuckland. She then got to the second round of the Australian Open for the first time, losing to 22nd-seededPatty Schnyder.
Bartoli refound her doubles form of late 2003. Partnering compatriotÉmilie Loit, she reached the semifinals ofAcapulco, the quarterfinals of Indian Wells, and then Bartoli won her first WTA 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 inCincinnati, 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 RussianVera Dushevina in the second round.
In the absence of Amélie Mauresmo andMary Pierce due to injuries, Bartoli received her debutFed Cup call-up forFrance's semifinals againstSpain. She was teamed with Loit again and helped complete a 5–0 whitewash of the Spanish team. In the final againstRussia, 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 leaderGuy Forget resigned, and she was not chosen by the new team leaderGeorges Goven to play in 2005.[14]
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.
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 inPattaya 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 toShahar 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 toJill Craybas in the second round.
Highlights of the year were reaching the third round of the US Open for the second time (losing toSania Mirza) and making her second WTA semifinal of the year (and fifth of her career) inQuébec.
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.
In January 2006, Bartoli at 21 years of age won her first senior title at theAuckland Open in New Zealand, beating Vera Zvonareva in the final. She then lost in the second round of the first threeGrand Slam events of the year (losing toRoberta Vinci inAustralia, Jelena Janković in Paris, andKarolina Šprem atWimbledon, all in three sets), but she won her third career doubles title by capturing theECM Prague Open with Shahar Pe'er in May.
The North American summer hardcourt 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 singles title at theJapan Open, beatingAiko Nakamura in the final. This was the first ever WTA Tour-level final contested by two players using two-handed strokes on both the forehand and backhand.[15] 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 Québec, defeatingOlga 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.
Bartoli began 2007 with another second-round exit at theAustralian Open, this time falling toVictoria Azarenka. In the clay-court season, she reached the final of theECM Prague Open in May, losing toAkiko Morigami. After reaching the semifinals inStrasbourg, she lost to Amélie Mauresmo. Bartoli reached her first career Grand Slam fourth round at the French Open by defeatingAravane Rezaï,Andrea Petkovic, and 13th seedElena 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 atBirmingham, where she lost to Maria Sharapova. She also reached the semifinals atEastbourne, but lost to world No. 1 Justine Henin.
AtWimbledon, Bartoli advanced to her first Grand Slam final, after defeating top-seeded Justine Henin in the semifinal,.[16] Bartoli lost the first set, and claimed afterwards that the reason for her turnaround in the match was seeingPierce Brosnan in the royal box and being determined to play well in front of one of her favourite actors.[citation needed] In the final, Bartoli lost to the three-time former championVenus Williams, but rose to a career high of No. 11 in the WTA rankings. At theUS Open, Bartoli reached the fourth round for the first time by defeating the world No. 25Lucie Šafářová, but lost to Serena Williams. At theLuxembourg Open, she reached her first semifinal since her Wimbledon run, but then lost to Daniela Hantuchová.
At the Tier I event inZurich Bartoli reached the quarterfinals, where she retired due to injury againstTatiana Golovin.[17] Despite her injury, Bartoli played at theGenerali Ladies Linz in Austria, and reached the semifinals, where she was defeated byPatty Schnyder. This ended her hopes of reaching theWTA Championships. However, after Serena Williams withdrew,[18] 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 at world No. 10.
Bartoli's first event during the new WTA calendar was the inauguralBrisbane International. She was seeded third and defeatedMonika Wejnert,Melinda Czink, andTathiana 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 defeatedMelanie South,Tsvetana Pironkova, Lucie Šafářová and top seed Jelena Janković to reach the quarterfinals, where she lost to seventh seed Vera Zvonareva. Bartoli won her fourth career title at theMonterrey Open. Seeded second, she beatMichaëlla Krajicek, Magdaléna Rybáriková,Vania King, andZheng Jie to reach the final, where she defeated unseededLi Na.
In Charleston, Bartoli was seeded sixth and defeatedAnastasija Sevastova,Melanie Oudin, and Melinda Czink to reach the semifinals, where she lost to eventual champion Sabine Lisicki. At theFrench Open, Bartoli won her opening match against fellow FrenchwomanPauline Parmentier, but was then defeated by Tathiana Garbin in the second round. Seeded 12th atWimbledon, Bartoli defeatedChan Yung-jan without losing a game in the first round. She then defeatedTimea Bacsinszky in the second round, but fell to Francesca Schiavone in the third.
Bartoli at the 2009 US Open
Bartoli played her first tournament of theUS Open Series in Stanford as eighth seed. She won the title by defeatingAyumi 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.[19] Seeded 14th at theUS Open, Bartoli beatRossana de los Ríos, but lost to eventual championKim Clijsters. At thePan Pacific Open in Tokyo, Bartoli was seeded 14th and reached the quarterfinals, where she lost to seventh seed Jelena Janković.
Seeded 14, Bartoli reached the semifinals of theChina 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 theCommonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions in Bali, Bartoli defeated Rybáriková, and qualified for the semifinals when she beat Shahar Pe'er. She then defeatedKimiko Date-Krumm. In the final against Aravane Rezaï Bartoli retired due to injury.
Bartoli started her year as the 11th seed at theAustralian Open. She defeated Rossana de los Ríos in the first round andSandra Záhlavová in the second. In the third round she lost to unseeded and eventual semifinalist Zheng Jie. At theMiami Open, 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 theFrench Open, Bartoli, as the 12th seed and French No. 1, beatMaria Elena Camerin in the first round and wildcardOlivia Sanchez in the second, but was defeated by Shahar Pe'er in the third round. Seeded eighth at theEastbourne International, she defeated Vera Dushevina, Ágnes Szávay andMaría José Martínez Sánchez to reach the semifinals for the fourth consecutive year before she lost to Victoria Azarenka. Bartoli was seeded 11th atWimbledon and defeatedJulia Görges in the first round; she then moved straight into the third round, afterPetra Martić withdrew from the tournament with suspected injury. In the third round, she defeated qualifierGréta Arn, before falling in the fourth round to eventual semifinalist Tsvetana Pironkova.
At theStanford Classic in California, where she was defending her title, she defeatedAshley Harkleroad and Ana Ivanovic to reach the quarterfinals, where she lost to Victoria Azarenka. Bartoli also reached the quarterfinals at theCincinnati Open, after defeatingAnabel Medina Garrigues,Alona Bondarenko and world No. 3, Caroline Wozniacki. In the quarterfinals, she was defeated by tenth seedMaria Sharapova. Bartoli managed a further quarterfinal appearance at theRogers Cup in Montreal, where she was seeded 17th. In the quarterfinals, she was defeated for the third time this year by tenth seed Victoria Azarenka. At her final tournament before the US Open, thePilot Pen Tennis tournament in New Haven, Bartoli was seeded sixth and defeated Alona Bondarenko andAnastasia Rodionova to reach the quarterfinals, where she lost to fourth seed Elena Dementieva.
At theUS Open, Bartoli was seeded 13th and defeatedEdina Gallovits in the first round. In the second round, she was upset by world No. 157, Virginie Razzano. At theOsaka Open in Japan, Bartoli was seeded second behind Samantha Stosur. She reached the semifinals by defeatingJulie Coin,Stefanie Vögele andJill Craybas, then lost in the semifinal toTamarine 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 Premier Mandatory final
Bartoli kicked off her 2011 season at theBrisbane International. She was seeded fourth and reached the semifinals, where she was defeated by Andrea Petkovic. Bartoli was top seeded at theHobart International in her first appearance at the tournament. She lost to fifth seedKlára Zakopalová in the quarterfinals.
Bartoli was seeded 15th at theAustralian Open, where she defeated Tathiana Garbin in the first round without losing a game. She lost againstVesna Manasieva is the second round, though Bartoli suffered an injury in the first set. At theQatar Ladies Open in Doha, Bartoli was unseeded but reached the semifinals, where she lost to world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki. Bartoli was seeded 2nd at theMalaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur, where she reached the quarterfinals and lost to fifth seed Lucie Šafářová. Bartoli was seeded 15th at theIndian Wells Open. 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 Mandatory/5 category. As a result of her run to the final, Bartoli returned to the top 10.
Bartoli at the 2011 French Open where she reached the semifinals
Bartoli was the top seed at theInternationaux 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 theFrench Open, Bartoli won her opening round againstAnna Tatishvili. In the second round she beatOlga 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 theEastbourne International 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 ninth atWimbledon. She defeated Czech qualifierKristýna Plíšková in the first round, Lourdes Domínguez Lino in the second, and 21st seedFlavia 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.[20] 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.
AtStanford, where Bartoli was seeded third, she reached the final after Ayumi Morita, her opponent in the quarterfinals, retired, and Dominika Cibulková, her opponent in the semifinals, withdrew.[21] 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 theNew Haven Open at Yale. She won her opening two rounds, defeating Anastasia Rodionova and Klára Zakopalová, before losing toPetra Cetkovská in the quarterfinals. At theUS Open, Bartoli suffered a second-round exit. After defeatingAlexandra Panova in the first round, she lost to American teenagerChristina 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 thePan Pacific Open in Tokyo, Bartoli reached the quarterfinals, where she was defeated by third seed Victoria Azarenka. At theOsaka Open, Bartoli defeated Melinda Czink,Vania King, sixth seed Ayumi Morita, and third seedAngelique Kerber to reach the final. She took the title by defeating top seed and US Open champion Samantha Stosur. Bartoli finished the year ninth in the race to the Year End Championships inIstanbul, 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, eight semifinals, and five finals, and won two titles (Eastbourne andOsaka), resulting in her best year financially, earning $1,722,863 in tournament prize money.
Bartoli competed for France alongsideRichard Gasquet in theHopman 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 inSydney and was seeded eighth. In the quarterfinal she was defeated by third seed Victoria Azarenka. At theAustralian 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. seven, Bartoli was seeded second for theOpen GDF Suez in Paris. She received a bye into the second round, then defeatedPetra Martić, Roberta Vinci and Klára Zakopalová to reach the final, which she lost to Angelique Kerber.
InDoha, 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. AtIndian Wells, Bartoli reached the quarterfinals by defeatingVarvara Lepchenko,Chanelle Scheepers, and Lucie Šafářová. She fell to Ana Ivanovic. Seeded seventh inMiami, Bartoli defeatedPolona Hercog,Simona Halep,Maria Kirilenko and world No. 1, Victoria Azarenka, to reach the semifinals, where she was defeated by fifth seed and eventual champion, Agnieszka Radwańska.
Bartoli was seeded eighth at theFrench 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 byPetra Martić. AtEastbourne, Bartoli defeatedSorana Cîrstea, Aleksandra Wozniak, and Lucie Šafářová to reach the semifinals, where she was defeated by eventual championTamira Paszek. In the first round ofWimbledon, Bartoli defeatedCasey Dellacqua. Her run ended with a loss toMirjana Lučić in the second round.
Seeded second at theStanford Classic in, Bartoli reached the quarterfinals, where she lost to Yanina Wickmayer.[22] At theCarlsbad Open in California, Bartoli was the top-seed. She received a bye into the second round, then defeated Vania King, Christina McHale andChan Yung-jan to reach the final, which she lost to second seed and close friend Dominika Cibulkova.[23]
Bartoli did not compete in theLondon Olympics, refusing to play in the Fed Cup without the coaching of her father. At theNew Haven Open, 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.
Bartoli started the 2013 season by participating in a new tournament, theShenzhen Open. She was seeded second and reached the quarterfinals, where she was defeated by fifth seed Klára Zakopalová.[24]
Bartoli was seeded 11th at theAustralian Open. She reached the third round, where she was defeated by the 19th seedEkaterina Makarova. At theOpen 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 theQatar Total Open,[25] where she was seeded ninth. She lost to Svetlana Kuznetsova in the second round.
Seeded No. 15 atWimbledon, Bartoli defeatedElina Svitolina in the first round, Christina McHale in the second, Camila Giorgi in the third, andKarin Knapp in the fourth. In the quarterfinals, she defeated 17th seedSloane Stephens, which was her first quarterfinal victory of any WTA Tour or Grand Slam event in 2013.[11] In the semifinals, she beat 20th seedKirsten 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.[26] 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 byJana Novotná, at 45).[27]Bartoli also competed in themixed doubles alongsideNicholas Monroe. They lost in the first round toSantiago González andNatalie Grandin.
Bartoli announced her immediate retirement from tennis during theWestern & Southern Open, citing continuous and increasingly unbearable pain from injuries sustained throughout her career.[28][29] 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."[29]
In March 2015, she posted a tweet hinting that she was considering a return to professional tennis, and asked her followers for their opinion.[32] Rumours of a possible comeback circulated again in October 2017, after Bartoli was spotted training at theFrench Tennis Federation but were later denied by the Frenchwoman.[33]
In July 2016, she said that she "feared for her life" due to an unknown virus.[34][35] However, later in the month, she tweeted a photo after a blood transfusion that indicated recovery was in sight.[citation needed]
In December 2017, Bartoli announced her return to the professional tour, and she stated she hoped to be back for the Miami Open in March 2018. She also playedTie Break Tens in New York in March 2018, but lost in the first round to Serena Williams.[36]
In June 2018, after numerous delays and setbacks, Bartoli announced she would be unable to continue her comeback plans, as a result of ongoing and continual injuries.[citation needed]
In October 2019, Bartoli began coaching former French Open championJeļena Ostapenko at the tournament inLinz. Their partnership immediately bore fruit, as Ostapenko reached two finals in as many weeks, not having reached a tournament final since March 2018, winning the title atLuxembourg the following week.[37] When Bartoli started working with Ostapenko, she was 76th in the WTA rankings, she helped her get back into the top 20.
The partnership between Bartoli and Ostapenko was terminated during the suspension of the WTA Tour due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, and Bartoli's pregnancy. After giving birth, Bartoli continued to be Ostapenko's part-time coach.
Bartoli is a double-hander in both forehand (left) and backhand (right) sides
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 whichMonica Seles defeatedSteffi 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. She often stood well inside the baseline to receive serve, even on first serves, and managed to take advantage of break point opportunities.
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 TV interview during the 2012 US 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 asAgnieszka Radwańska (whom she never beat). Instead, she relied on her excellent hand-eye coordination and anticipation skills. 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 the2013 Wimbledon Championships, she had an unusual setup for serves – no ball-bouncing, arms crossed, right wrist resting on her left thumb before the toss.[11]
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.[38]
Relationship with her father and subsequent coaches
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.[39][40] Bartoli has denied allegations that her close relationship with her father is a public show to hide a dominating parent. She 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.[41] In 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, and stated that she would be working with physical trainer Nicolas Perrotte and former playerGabriel Urpí until she found a new coach who could take her to the next level and help her win her first Grand Slam singles title.[42] The following month it was announced on the WTA website that Bartoli was being coached byJana Novotná, but they cancelled the coaching arrangement after a week with the conclusion of theIndian Wells Open tournament. Bartoli was subsequently coached by former world No. 1,Amélie Mauresmo, under whom she won the2013 Wimbledon Championships.[43]
Bartoli retired whilst using thePrince EXO 3 Warrior racquet. She had previously used the Prince EXO3 Black and the Prince O3 Red. All her Prince racquets were specially modified inNew 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 inAuckland. For many years she had no clothing sponsor, but woreNike. In October 2011, she signed a three-year clothing deal withLotto. Before her breakthrough into the top 100, Bartoli was playing with a standard lengthBabolat racquet and she was wearingLe Coq Sportif apparel. Due to her small hands, her racquets had a very small grip size of 0.
Bartoli andVictoria Azarenka met twelve times from 2007 to 2012, with Azarenka winning nine times, including their only Grand Slam meeting.[44]
Bartoli lost the first six meetings between the pair, including the second round of the2007 Australian Open, the final of the2009 Brisbane International[45] and all four matches they played against each other in 2010. Bartoli beat Azarenka for the first time at Eastbourne in 2011 when Azarenka retired at 2–6, 0–2 down.[46] At the2011 WTA Tour Championships, Bartoli qualified as a reserve forMaria Sharapova and in the only match she played, she upset Azarenka in three sets.[47]
The pair met three times in 2012, with Bartoli losing twice. Bartoli's victory in theMiami quarter-finals broke Azarenka's 26-match winning streak to start the season and was her third victory over a reigning world No. 1.[48] Their last meeting was in the semi-finals of theChina Open, with Bartoli losing in straight sets to Azarenka, the eventual champion.[49]
Bartoli andJelena Janković met nine times between 2005 and 2009. Bartoli won five of these matches and the players were tied 2–2 at Grand Slams.
Bartoli won their first meeting in 2005 at Auckland in three sets. Janković then won their next three meetings, which included wins at the French Open in 2006 and 2007. Bartoli won the next four, including a victory in 2007 atWimbledon where she went on to reach the final, and a win at the2009 Australian Open when Janković was ranked world No. 1.
Their last meeting was in 2009 inTokyo, where Janković won comfortably in two sets.
^"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. Retrieved9 July 2013.
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