Marion Bartoli: From oblivion to glory
Known for her unorthodox and intense style of play, Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli was not the crowd favourite on Saturday. But her 6-1 6-4 win over Sabine Lisicki was unambiguous and masterful as she became the 2103 Wimbledon champ.
Known for her unorthodox and intense style of play, Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli was not the crowd favourite on Saturday. But her 6-1 6-4 win over Sabine Lisicki was unambiguous and masterful as she became the 2103 Wimbledon champ.
The 2013 title at the All England Club is Bartoli's first major win.
The 28-year-old is the first Frenchwoman to win a Grand Slam since Amelie Mauresmo's 2006 Wimbledon and Australian Open titles.
As seeds fell with alarming regularity through the summer tournament, it was Bartoli's lower ranked opponent Lisicki whose name trended as a giant killer. Not Bartoli so much. Not till Saturday when the 15th seed showed her mettle.
Bartoli is known for a pronounced double-fisted forehand and backhand and a high ball toss during serve.
The previous high-point in Bartoli's career was way back in 2007, when she was the runner up to Venus Williams at Wimbledon. Bartoli's run to the 2007 title clash came on the back a semi-final win over highly fancied Justine Henin.
On January 30, 2012 she reached a career-high ranking of number 7 in the world.
Born in Le Puy en Velay, Haute-Loire in France, Bartoli was coached by her father Walter, who introduced tennis to her at a tender age of 6.
Her role model off court is Mahatma Gandhi. She is also an admirer of Pete Sampras and Monica Seles.
Her father had watched the 1992 epic French Open final between Steffi Graf and Seles and that inspired him to introduce his daughter to the game.