Bartoli Sets Sights On US Open

Written by: Bob Larson Tennis on 7th August 2013

Bartoli Sets Sights On US Open

epa03778198 Marion Bartoli of France celebrates her victory over Sabine Lisicki of Germany in the women's final for the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, in London, Britain, 06 July 2013. EPA/KERIM OKTEN |

Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli says that she’s not resting on her laurels after winning her first grand slam title at Wimbledon last month.

After going on a long media tour post Wimbledon, the 28 year old is competing for the first time, this week in Toronto. She pulled out of tournaments in Stanford and Carlsbad to recharge her batteries as well as to celebrate her win.

But the Frenchwoman says that she is training as hard as ever and even though she realizes that it will be a big challenge to repeat her success at the US Open, she is going to give it a try.

“It will be tough but it would be too easy if it were easy,” she said. “I have the same mind-set yes. Wimbledon was great, but I want to win more. I want to stay on top and will try my hardest every single day to stay there. If I fail I will have no regrets because I tried my hardest. I want to achieve more and it’s going to take a tremendous hard work towards the US Open.”

Bartoli said that one of the reasons why she was able to win her maiden grand Slam was that she finally settled her coaching relationship with her father Walter. Her father, who had coached her since she was a child, decided at the end of last year that he no longer wanted to coach her.

Marion accepted his decision, but then struggled to adjust quickly hiring and firing two other coaches during the spring.

She asked her father to help her again in April and he did so for a few weeks but he stepped away again just before the French Open.

“I needed to take more responsibility in practice and when playing matches. I looked at him all the time trying to find solutions, but it was more taking my responsibility and going for my shots and trying to find solutions myself.”

She began to work with the French Tennis Federation, including former number one Amelie Mauresmo, who is France’s Fed Cup captain

“That was a hard decision to take, you are not splitting 22 years of relationship overnight,” Bartoli said. “I’ve been through some really tough moments at the beginning of the year, but then I was able to live the best moment of my life. I really went down before going high and it makes the story sweeter. I know where I started. The people who were really with me on the very low were with me on the very top.”

Bartoli, who will face America qualifier Lauren Davis in her opening match in Toronto, says that despite getting a lot more attention after her Wimbledon victory, she plans on remaining the same person.

“I like my values,” she said. “I like the way I am simple and humble and easy to speak to. But of course it gives me confidence because I’ve been able to win once, so why not win more than once, but I just want to leave it all on court and see what it happens.”

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nutmeg237 says:

August 7, 2013 at 9:20 am

RT @10sBalls_com: Bartoli Sets Sights On US Open : Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli says that she’s not resting on her… http://t.co/cP5d…