PARIS: Marion Bartoli, the 2013 Wimbledon champion, says she
is coming out of retirement and returning to the tennis tour next
season.
The 33-year-old Frenchwoman made the announcement via a Twitter post 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 she put on Twitter. “I
have still a lot of practice ahead of me, but I am hoping to be ready
for March and the Miami Open.”
Bartoli mentioned three events she is particularly looking forward to: the French Open, Fed Cup and, of course, Wimbledon.
She
surprisingly won her only Grand Slam title while seeded No. 15 at the
All England Club four years ago. Less than two months later, after
losing a match at another tournament, she abruptly retired from
professional tennis.
Bartoli was coached by her father, a doctor, and they came up with other unique elements.
Her first big breakthrough came in 2007, reaching the Wimbledon final before losing to Venus Williams.
Then
came the magical two-week run to the championship there six years
later. Bartoli never dropped a set and capped her fortnight with a 6-1,
6-4 victory over Sabine Lisicki in the final, closing the match with an
ace.
A year later, Bartoli became the first woman in 17 years who declined to try to defend her Wimbledon title.
At
a news conference before the 2014 tournament, Bartoli tugged at the
collar of her white 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 harboured “definitely no regrets at all” about walking away from tennis back then.
She since moved on to other pursuits, including TV commentary, launching a shoe line and designing jewelry.
