Former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli has announced that she will come out of retirement and return to the WTA Tour in 2018.
The Frenchwoman enjoyed Grand Slam glory at SW19 in 2013 but then announced her retirement from the game a little over a month later. In 2016, Bartoli suffered from a mystery virus that saw her lose 20kg of weight and forced her to pull out of a pre-Wimbledon exhibition event. No French player, male or female, has won a Grand Slam singles title since Bartoli’s Wimbledon success.
She is planning to make her comeback at the Miami Open in March, with a return to Wimbledon among her targets for the 2018 season. “I am delighted to announce my comeback on the professional circuit of the WTA next year,” said Bartoli. “I am so looking forward to seeing you again during my matches and sharing some amazing emotions with you. It’s going to be a huge challenge, I still have a lot of practice ahead of me.
“I’m really looking forward to being on the court again, especially in Paris at Roland Garros in my home country, but also for the Fed Cup and Wimbledon.” Bartoli, now 33, has lifted eight WTA titles in her career to date while she reached a career high of seventh in the world rankings in both 2012 and 2013.
She lost the 2007 Wimbledon decider to Venus Williams before landing the tournament without dropping a set six years later, defeating Sabine Lisicki of Germany in the final.
Serena Williams is 4.33 to win the 2018 Wimbledon Ladies crown, while Garbine Muguruza is 8.00.
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