Marion Bartoli facts for kids

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Marion Bartoli
Singles
Bartoli at the Valais Cup in 2013
Country (sports)	France
Residence	Geneva, Switzerland
Born	(1984-10-02) 2 October 1984 (age 40) Le Puy-en-Velay, Haute-Loire, France
Height	1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
Turned pro	February 2000
Retired	14 August 2013
Plays	Right-handed (two-handed both sides)
Prize money	$11,055,114
Career record	490–299 (62.1%)
Career titles	8
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 (58.79%)
Career titles	3
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)

Marion Bartoli (born October 2, 1984) is a French former professional tennis player. She is best known for winning the 2013 Wimbledon Championships singles title. Before that, she was a runner-up at Wimbledon in 2007. She also reached the semifinals of the 2011 French Open.

Bartoli won eight singles titles and three doubles titles on the WTA Tour. She was famous for her unique playing style. She used both hands for her forehand and backhand shots. On January 30, 2012, she reached her highest ranking, world No. 7. She achieved this ranking again on July 8, 2013, after her big win at Wimbledon. Marion Bartoli reached the quarterfinals at all four major tennis tournaments, known as Grand Slams. Her Wimbledon victory was special because she won without losing a single set. This made her one of only six players in the Open Era to do so.

Early Life and Family
Tennis Career Highlights
Later Activities and Coaching
Playing Style
Coaching Relationships
Equipment
Images for kids
See also

Early Life and Family

Marion Bartoli was born on October 2, 1984, in Le Puy-en-Velay, France. Her family comes from Corsica.

Her father, Walter, introduced her to tennis when she was six years old. They often trained on small or icy courts, which helped her develop her strong, attacking style. Her father created fun drills to improve her coordination and keep her quick. They traveled to tournaments together, and Marion would do her schoolwork on the go.

In December 2019, Marion Bartoli married Belgian football player Yahya Boumediene. Their daughter was born a year later.

Tennis Career Highlights

Starting Out in Tennis

Marion Bartoli began playing in tournaments regularly when she was 16. In 2001, she won two smaller tournaments. This earned her a special entry, called a wildcard, into her first major tournament, the French Open.

In 2002, she got another wildcard for the Australian Open. Later that year, at the US Open, she earned her first win against a top-100 player.

First Big Steps (2003-2005)

In 2003, Bartoli reached her first WTA Tour semifinal in Canberra. She also made it to the quarterfinals at Key Biscayne. At the US Open, she reached her first Grand Slam doubles semifinal.

By 2004, she was consistently reaching later rounds in tournaments. She won her first WTA doubles title in Casablanca. That year, she also played for the French Fed Cup team for the first time. She helped France reach the final, but they lost to Russia.

In 2005, Bartoli continued to improve, reaching semifinals and quarterfinals. She also won her second doubles title in Pattaya City.

Winning Titles and Reaching the Top 20 (2006)

In January 2006, Marion Bartoli won her first big singles title at the Auckland Open in New Zealand. She also won her third career doubles title in May.

She had a very successful summer hardcourt season in North America. In October, she won her second singles title at the Japan Open. This win was unique because both players in the final used two hands for both their forehand and backhand shots. After this victory, Bartoli entered the top 20 players in the world for the first time. She finished 2006 ranked world No. 17.

First Grand Slam Final (2007)

In 2007, Bartoli had a breakthrough year. She reached her first career Grand Slam fourth round at the French Open. In the grass-court season, she made it to the semifinals in Birmingham and Eastbourne.

At Wimbledon, Bartoli surprised everyone by reaching her first Grand Slam final. She beat the top-seeded player, Justine Henin, in the semifinals. In the final, she played against the three-time champion Venus Williams and lost. However, this amazing performance helped her reach a career-high ranking of No. 11. She finished the year ranked world No. 10.

Consistent Performances (2008-2010)

In 2008, Bartoli reached her first final since Wimbledon 2007 at the Stanford Classic. She also made it to the fourth round of the US Open.

In 2009, she started strong by reaching the final of the Brisbane International. At the Australian Open, she reached the quarterfinals. She then won her fourth career title at the Monterrey Open. Later that year, she won her second title of 2009 at the Stanford Classic, beating Venus Williams in the final.

The year 2010 saw Bartoli consistently reaching quarterfinals and semifinals in many tournaments, including the Miami Open and the Cincinnati Open. She finished the year ranked world No. 16.

French Open Semifinal and More Titles (2011)

Bartoli had another excellent year in 2011. She reached the semifinals at the Brisbane International and the Qatar Ladies Open. At the Indian Wells Open, she reached her first "Premier Mandatory" final, a very important type of tournament. This result brought her back into the top 10.

At the French Open, Bartoli had a fantastic run, reaching the semifinals. She then won the Eastbourne International title on grass. At Wimbledon, she defeated the defending champion Serena Williams in the fourth round, which she called the greatest win of her life. She reached the quarterfinals there.

Later in 2011, she won the Osaka Open title. Bartoli finished 2011 ranked No. 9 in the world, with her best win-loss record and highest earnings.

US Open Quarterfinal (2012)

In 2012, Bartoli started the year by helping France reach the final of the Hopman Cup. She reached the quarterfinals of the Sydney tournament and the semifinals in Doha and Miami. Her victory over Victoria Azarenka in Miami ended Azarenka's 26-match winning streak that year.

At the French Open, she reached the second round. She also reached the semifinals at Eastbourne. Bartoli made it to her first US Open quarterfinals in 2012. This meant she had reached at least the quarterfinals at all four Grand Slams in her career.

Wimbledon Champion and Retirement (2013)

Bartoli at the 2013 Valais Cup

The year 2013 was the most memorable of Marion Bartoli's career. She reached the third round of the Australian Open.

At Wimbledon, seeded 15th, Bartoli played incredibly well. She won all her matches without losing a single set. In the quarterfinals, she won her first Grand Slam quarterfinal match of the year. She then beat Kirsten Flipkens in the semifinals to reach her second Wimbledon final. In the final, she faced Sabine Lisicki and won the match in straight sets. This was her first and only Grand Slam title! She also set a record for playing in the most Grand Slam tournaments (47) before winning one.

Just 40 days after her amazing Wimbledon victory, Marion Bartoli announced her immediate retirement from tennis. She explained that she was in constant pain from injuries throughout her career and her body could no longer handle playing. 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."

In December 2013, Bartoli was named the 2013 RTL Champion of Champions and the L'Équipe Champion of Champions (France female category).

Later Activities and Coaching

In 2014, Bartoli played for the Austin Aces in the World TeamTennis league. There were rumors of a comeback in 2015 and 2017, but she later denied them. In 2016, she faced a serious health issue due to an unknown virus but later recovered.

In December 2017, Bartoli announced she would try to return to professional tennis. She played in a special tournament in March 2018 but lost in the first round. However, in June 2018, she announced that ongoing injuries prevented her from continuing her comeback plans.

In October 2019, Bartoli began coaching Jeļena Ostapenko, a former French Open champion. Their partnership was very successful, with Ostapenko reaching two finals in two weeks and winning a title. Bartoli helped Ostapenko improve her ranking significantly. Their coaching partnership paused during the COVID-19 pandemic and Bartoli's pregnancy. After giving birth, Bartoli continued to be Ostapenko's part-time coach.

Playing Style

Bartoli using her two-handed forehand in 2011.

Marion Bartoli was known for her unique and intense way of playing tennis. She used both hands for her forehand and backhand shots. This made her an aggressive player who hit the ball very hard, mostly from the back of the court. Her father, Walter, who was also her coach, encouraged her to develop this two-handed style. He was inspired by Monica Seles, another famous player who used two hands on both sides.

Bartoli's serve was sometimes seen as a weaker part of her game. However, her return of serve was very strong. She often stood very close to the baseline to receive serves, even fast first serves. This allowed her to take advantage of opportunities to win points.

Her playing style was similar to Monica Seles's. Bartoli explained that both she and Seles are left-handed, and her forehand improved a lot after she switched to using two hands.

Bartoli was not the fastest mover on the court. Her two-handed strokes sometimes made it harder for her to cover the whole court. Instead, she relied on her excellent hand-eye coordination and ability to guess where the ball would go. She worked hard on her fitness and movement throughout her career.

She also had an unusual serving motion. She would use her wrist to create speed and changed her serve many times over the years. During her Wimbledon win in 2013, she had a very distinct setup for her serves: no ball-bouncing, arms crossed, and her right wrist resting on her left thumb before she tossed the ball.

On the court, Bartoli had some noticeable habits. She would bounce energetically and practice racquet swings between points. She also seemed restless during breaks. She said these actions helped her stay focused for her intense playing style.

Coaching Relationships

Marion Bartoli's father, Walter, had no tennis background. He stopped his career as a doctor to learn how to coach her to become a professional tennis player. Bartoli always had a very close relationship with her father. She even chose not to play in the 2012 London Olympics because she wouldn't play in the Fed Cup without his private coaching.

In February 2013, Bartoli announced that she and her father had mutually decided to end their coaching arrangement. She then worked with a physical trainer and a former player while looking for a new coach. The following month, it was announced that she was being coached by Jana Novotná, but this arrangement lasted only a week. Bartoli was then coached by former world No. 1, Amélie Mauresmo. It was under Mauresmo's guidance that Bartoli won the 2013 Wimbledon Championships.

Equipment

When Marion Bartoli retired, she was using a Prince EXO 3 Warrior racquet. Her Prince racquets were specially made longer than standard racquets (29 inches instead of 27 inches). This extra length helped her reach the ball better with her two-handed strokes. She started using these longer frames in 2006, the same year she won her first tournament in Auckland.

For many years, she did not have a clothing sponsor but wore Nike clothes. In October 2011, she signed a three-year clothing deal with Lotto. Before she became a top-100 player, Bartoli used a standard length Babolat racquet and wore Le Coq Sportif apparel. Because her hands were small, her racquets had a very small grip size.