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Bartoli Vanquishes Nerves and Lisicki in Wimbledon Final Bartoli Vanquishes Nerves and Lisicki in Wimbledon Final
(about 3 hours later)
WIMBLEDON, England — Marion Bartoli said the Wimbledon women’s final would be a battle of nerves. She dominated that battle, then she won the match. WIMBLEDON, England — There are many ways to count how long Marion Bartoli waited for her first Grand Slam title. Wimbledon was her 47th major tournament. She reached her first Grand Slam final here six years ago but did not play another until Saturday. She had not won a tournament since October 2011.
Bartoli, the 28-year-old from France, captured her first Grand Slam championship Saturday, defeating Sabine Lisicki, 6-1, 6-4.
There are many ways to count how long Bartoli waited for this moment. She was competing in her 47th Grand Slam event, the most of any champion before winning her first title. She reached her first Grand Slam final here six years ago, but did not reach another one until Saturday. She had not won a tournament of any kind since 2011.
Bartoli, 28, counted it in hours: hours of dreams since she was 6, when she was taught the game by her father, Walter, who was her coach until earlier this year.Bartoli, 28, counted it in hours: hours of dreams since she was 6, when she was taught the game by her father, Walter, who was her coach until earlier this year.
“For a tennis player, you start to play like at 5 or 6 years old,” she said. “When you decide to turn pro, your dream is to win a Grand Slam. You dream about it every day. You think about every day. “For a tennis player, you start to play like at 5 or 6 years old,” she said. “When you decide to turn pro, your dream is to win a Grand Slam. You dream about it every day. You think about every day. So when it happens, when it actually happens, you feel like, you know, you achieve something that you dream about for maybe million of hours.”
“So when it happens, when it actually happens, you feel like, you know, you achieve something that you dream about for maybe million of hours.” The wait ended Saturday afternoon, when Bartoli defeated Sabine Lisicki, 6-1, 6-4, in 81 minutes to win Wimbledon.
The No. 15 seed, Bartoli is the first player to win the Wimbledon title without beating a top-10 seed and only the third player seeded outside the top 10 to win Wimbledon in the Open era. In a tournament marked by upsets and injuries, it seemed appropriate that the champion was such an unusual player, one called quirky and eccentric for her on-court routines and her tennis upbringing.
She also is the first woman to win Wimbledon playing two-handed on both sides. Not even the player she was modeled after, Monica Seles, was a winner here. “I’ve never been afraid of being special, never,” Bartoli said. “I think it’s kind of boring to be like everyone.”
Lisicki, the No. 23 seed from Germany, was in her first Grand Slam final, and it seemed both players were nervous at the start. Bartoli double faulted to give Lisicki a break in the first game, but Lisicki gave it right back. She also double faulted on break point, with a terrible toss on her second serve, which plagued her throughout the match. Bartoli is the first man or woman to win Wimbledon playing two-handed on both sides. At a stocky 5 feet 7 inches, she is dwarfed by amazons that dominate the game. The No. 15 seed, she is only the third player seeded outside the top 10 to win Wimbledon in the open era.
It was just the start of an erratic performance by Lisicki, who won the hearts of the British crowds after her upset of No. 1 Serena Williams in the fourth round. Lisicki was broken two more times in the first set, badly overhitting ground strokes and unable to control her serve. She learned to play on a modest court, with a sometimes leaky roof, in the small town of Retournac, with her father, a doctor, her only coach. She often practiced from 10 p.m. until midnight so her training could fit into her schooling. She said her training made her “as strong as wood.”
Bartoli, on the other hand, was laser-focused and hitting laser shots, crushing backhands that caused the crowd to go “oooh.” Bartoli said the final would be a battle of nerves, and she won that in a rout. Before her semifinal against Kirsten Flipkens, she took a 30-minute nap. Before the final, she was singing and dancing in the locker room.
But Lisicki, 23, had been in holes before, down a break in the third sets against both Williams and Agnieszka Radwanska in the semifinals. The Centre Court crowd tried to rouse her as she won the opening game of the set. Lisicki, the 23-year-old No. 23 seed from Germany, was in her first Grand Slam final, and it seemed both players were nervous at the start. Bartoli double faulted to give Lisicki a break in the first game, but Lisicki gave it right back. She also double faulted on break point, with a terrible toss on her second serve, a problem throughout the match.
Still, Bartoli would not let Lisicki in. She saved four break points in the second game of the set, then broke Lisicki in third. It was just the beginning of an erratic performance by Lisicki, who won the hearts of the crowds after her upset of No. 1 Serena Williams in the fourth round.
At this point Lisicki’s emotions got the best of her. Serving at 1-3, Lisicki started laughing when she had another bad toss. But after two double faults, Lisicki was covering her face with her racket, in tears. Bartoli broke her again to go up 4-1, a second break she would need. Lisicki was broken two more times in losing the first set, badly overhitting ground strokes and unable to control her serve, her biggest weapon.
Bartoli was laser-focused and hitting laser shots. She was terrific at the net and quick and creative at the baseline. She said she overheard compliments from Billie Jean King, who was sitting in the Royal Box.
“She was turning to the person next to her: ‘Did you see that shot? Did you see this one?’ ” Bartoli said. “I was like, Yeah, Billie Jean, you see I can play some great tennis.”
But Lisicki had been in holes before, down a break in the third set against Williams and against Agnieszka Radwanska in the semifinals. The Centre Court crowd tried to rouse her as she took the opening game of the second set.
Bartoli would not let Lisicki into the match. She saved four break points in the second game of the set, then broke her in the next one.
Lisicki’s emotions got the better of her. Serving at 1-3, she started laughing after another bad toss. But after two double faults, Lisicki was in tears, covering her face with her racket. Bartoli broke her again to go up 4-1.
“I was a bit sad that I couldn’t perform the way I can,” Lisicki said.“I was a bit sad that I couldn’t perform the way I can,” Lisicki said.
She started to come back, saving three match points and then breaking Bartoli to get to 3-5. Lisicki started to come back, saving three match points and breaking Bartoli to get to 3-5. But the second time Bartoli served for the championship, she did not let it go, holding at love and closing with an ace.
But the second time Bartoli served for the championship, she would not let it go. She held at love, closing with an ace. “I played some shots out of the blue that I never tried even in practice, and finishing by an ace, for me, that is beyond amazing,” said Bartoli, who is not known for her serve.
“I could have seen it in slow motion,” she said. “I could see the ball landing, the chalk come out, it’s an ace, and I just win Wimbledon.” Lisicki admitted that she was overwhelmed by the occasion and drained from a difficult draw, beating No. 1 Williams, No. 4 Radwanska and No. 14 Sam Stosur in three sets. Bartoli, who did not lose a set in the tournament, is the first woman to win the Wimbledon title without facing a top-10 seed.
Lisicki admitted she was overwhelmed by the occasion and drained from fighting through a difficult draw, beating No. 1 Williams, No. 4 Radwanska and No. 14 Sam Stosur. “After those two weeks, having so many hard matches is draining in the end of the day,” Lisicki said. “I think Marion was fresher today.”
“I had to take out three, four Grand Slam champions on the way, and then against Radwanska, 9-7 in the third set just two days ago,” Lisicki said. After the handshakes, Bartoli ran to her box and climbed in to hug her father.
She added: “The matches are different when you play against the top players. They’re heavier. They’re longer. You have more draining rallies. Mentally and physically I just felt I wasn’t at 100 percent.” “When I see her so radiant, I am happy for her and happy about what we did together,” Walter Bartoli told the French news media after the match.
After the handshakes, Bartoli ran to her box and climbed in to hug her father, who had come to the tournament for the final. However difficult their professional split was, a fresh perspective provided by a team from the French tennis federation has lifted Bartoli to new heights.
However heartbreaking their split was, a fresh perspective provided by a team from the French tennis federation has lifted Bartoli to new heights. “How things got together with everyone being a specialist in their own area made a big difference,” said Amelie Mauresmo, the 2006 Wimbledon champion and the French Fed Cup captain.
“It determined the whole tournament she’s had,” said Amélie Mauresmo, the 2006 champion here. “She’s a hard worker and what she’s done with her father in the past was really impressive in working hard. How things got together with everyone being a specialist in their own area made a big difference.”
Mauresmo has been an adviser, too, and Bartoli said Mauresmo had helped her most dealing with stress and not wasting energy off the court.Mauresmo has been an adviser, too, and Bartoli said Mauresmo had helped her most dealing with stress and not wasting energy off the court.
“Hard work, intensity, fun and easy going, these things can go together,” Mauresmo said.“Hard work, intensity, fun and easy going, these things can go together,” Mauresmo said.
Bartoli found a memorable way repay Mauresmo, whose birthday was Friday. Bartoli found a memorable way to repay Mauresmo, whose birthday was Friday.
“Happy birthday, girl,” said Bartoli, holding up the Venus Rosewater Dish. “Happy birthday, girl,” said Bartoli, holding up the Venus Rosewater Dish after the trophy presentation.
For so long, Bartoli had worked outside the federation, left out of Fed Cup for refusing to have a coach besides her father, which cost her the chance to play at last year’s Olympics. On Saturday, Bartoli said that the “Fed Cup spirit” of Mauresmo and her teammate Kristina Mladenovic in her box carried her, and that the federation president, Jean Gachassin, was in tears waiting to greet Bartoli afterward.
“She needed to find a good working relationship and a way to really find personal happiness,” Walter Bartoli said. “I really salute her courage and her decisions.”
That is a long way from rock bottom, which was how Bartoli described an off-the-court situation in March.
“I was feeling so lost,” she said. “I was feeling like I couldn’t focus while I was on the tennis court, which is unusual for me.”
But by Saturday night, she said she could get a cramp from smiling so much, and she had a new idea for a painting, her hobby.
“Lately I’ve been working on some landscapes of some places that remind of good vibes,” she said. “So I will do London for sure.”