Marion Bartoli Retires From Tennis

Written by: Bob Larson Tennis on 15th August 2013

Marion Bartoli Retires From Tennis

epa03778121 Marion Bartoli of France with the championship trophy as she 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 |

Just 40 days after experiencing the exhilaration and joy of winning the Wimbledon title, Marion Bartoli has announced her retirement from tennis at the age of just 28.

The unconventional Frenchwoman, a veteran of the WTA scene since 2001, cited a succession of injuries for her decision to call it a day and in particular an Achilles tendon problem, which was troubling her on the hard courts of North America. Hip and lower back injuries have also been fitness issues.

Bartoli, currently placed a career high world no.7 on the WTA rankings, made her surprising and tearful announcement after losing 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 to Simona Halep in the second round of the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati. Her 12 year professional career earned total prize money of $11,042,914 and aside from Wimbledon, she won seven other tour singles titles.

She took reporters by surprise in her post-match press conference by announcing: “That was actually the last match of my career. Sorry. It’s time for me to retire and call it a career. I feel it’s time for me to walk away actually.”

The player who beat Sabine Lisicki in the final at the All England Club last month to claim her first Grand Slam title revealed the effort of winning Wimbledon had expended all her will to fight the constant physical pain she has been forced to endure and she now finds herself drained of anymore fight.

After her title win at Wimbledon, that came six years after losing the final to Venus Williams, Bartoli hinted that the physical demands of the sport were taking their toll. “That was probably the last little bit of something that was left inside me,” she revealed at the time.

Elaborating in Cincinnati she said: “My body just can’t do it anymore. I’ve already been through a lot of injuries since the beginning of the year. I’ve been on the tour for so long, and I really pushed through and left it all during that Wimbledon.

“I really felt I gave all the energy I have left in my body. I made my dream a reality and it will stay with me forever, but now my body just can’t cope with everything.

“I have pain everywhere after 45 minutes or an hour of play. I’ve been doing this for so long, and body-wise I just can’t do it anymore.”

Bartoli reiterated that winning Wimbledon had been her abiding tennis ambition since childhood. “When you dream about something for so long and you’ve been on tour for many, many, many years and you’ve been through ups and downs and highs and lows and already a lot of injuries since the beginning of the year, “ she said.

“My body was really starting to fall apart, and I was able to keep it together, go through a lot of pain throughout Wimbledon, and still make it happen.

‘That was probably the last little bit of something that was left inside me.”

Currently Bartoli is unsure of any future plans but concluded: “There are so many things to do in life rather than playing tennis, so I’m sure I’ll find something. I just need a bit of time to settle down.

“There is some excitement as a tennis player. There is a lot of excitement as a woman. There is a lot of excitement as a wife. There is a lot of excitement as a mother. There is a lot of excitement to come up.

“Obviously I’m excited to live my future, but I will have time to think about it in the months, years to come.”

WTA chairman and chief executive Stacey Allaster paid tribute to Bartoli’s ‘long, successful career’. She said: “Marion is an inspirational champion and a great ambassador for women’s tennis who has dedicated her life to the sport and given so much back to the game.

“I am so proud of her for who she is, her values and for fighting to realize her dream of winning Wimbledon.”

Editor’s Note : Cincinnati Is A Good Place To Be

For Marion Bartoli it was a good place to retire ? For most of my life I’d hear the title. Why. Cause that’s where Lovey’s people were from. The Mills Brothers were from Ohio too. But since when is Cincy the place to hang up a career ?

Poor Marion is just so tired. She won Wimbledon. It won’t sink in for awhile. She could parlay that win into sponsorship deals.$$$$. She could have waited till she got to NYC and the US Open. But typical of her Mensa mind she is frazzled and worn out. She should just take a rest. She should be better advised as to the lost opportunities. $$$$$

Either way we wish her well. She certainly had a rocky road and worked hard. Good luck . And Tommy would say. There’s something about Cincinnati and the river and asparagus ….

Topics: 10sballs.com, Cincinnati, Marion Bartoli, Sabine Lisicki, Simona Halep, Tennis, Tennis News, Venus Williams, Western and Southern Open, Wimbledon, Wta

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vtdaga says:

August 15, 2013 at 7:50 am

RT @10sBalls_com: Bartoli Retires From Tennis: Just 40 days after experiencing the exhilaration and joy of winning the Wi… http://t.co/wJ…