French Number 1 is one of the veterans of the WTA Tour. She has been around for a long time, having turned professional in 2000 and she is still ranked in the World Top 20. As of January 10th, 2011 she is number 17.
| Birthdate: | 2-October-1984 |
|---|---|
| Birthplace: | Le Puy-en-Velay, Auvergne, France |
| Height: | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) |
| Plays: | Right-Handed (Double-Handed Forehand & Backhand) |
| Turned Pro: | February 2000 |
Born in Le Puy en Velay in France on October 6th, 1984 she now lives in Geneva with her cat Calinette and practices at the Bellevue Country Club in the off-season.
Her role model is Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (Mahatma Gandhi) as her fight for peace in the world is very important to Bartoli.
In 2001 she won the Junior US Open girls singles and after her triumph, her father Dr. Walter Bartoli decided to give up his job as a doctor to become her coach full time. He likes playing chess whilst he is traveling with his daughter, Marion enjoys painting, doing puzzles, and shopping.
It was her father who introduced her to the game when she was 6-years-old and her mother Sophie, who is a nurse, tends to mingle with the crowd when her daughter is playing because she gets so nervous.
Her brother Franck does not get to see her play as much as he would like to as he is serving in the French army.
Bartoli graduated from CNED High School and began college at Retournac while she played her first tournaments on the IT circuit in France.
Away from the tennis court she loves soccer and is a big supporter of the Olympique de Marseille soccer team.
In her career, she has beaten two reigning Number 1s, Justine Henin in the 2007 Wimbledon semi-finals and Jelena Jankovic in the 2009 Australian Open.
Bartoli is known for her unorthodox and intense style of play, she is one of a handful of Top 100 players who have a double-handed forehand and backhand. It was her father who made the change after she was struggling with her forehand when she played conventionally.
As a youngster, she trained in a small facility where there was not much room behind the baseline and many believe that is why she stands inside the baseline to receive serve.
She reached her first Grand Slam Final at Wimbledon in 2007 and she got so near to winning the coveted trophy, but her opponent was Venus Williams who had no intention of letting Bartoli snatch the Title away from her.
She has been sponsored by Prince for her rackets and switched from the red Prince 03 racket to the black EXO 3 racket, and has worn Nike clothing.
2011 has started well for the French Number 1, she was seeded number 4 at the Hobart International and she reached the semi-final where she lost to Andrea Petkovic. At the Moorilla Hobart International, she was seeded number 1 but lost to Klara Zakopalova the 5th seed in the quarter-final.
In the Australian Open, she lost in the 2nd round to Vesna Manasieva. Then moved on to play the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championships which begin in February.
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