Who is Marion Bartoli? Former Wimbledon champ accused of being anorexic after dramatic weight loss
Marion dominated courts during her career that saw her win eight Women's Tennis Association singles titles
SPORTS STAR Marion Bartoli is a French former professional tennis player and was a force to be reckoned with on the court.
She was a Wimbledon champion and also won eight women’s tennis singles titles, but what else do we know about her?
Who is Marion Bartoli?
Marion was born on October 2, 1984 in south-central France.
She was introduced to tennis at the young age of six by her dad Walter, who worked as a doctor and later as her coach.
He would practise with her after school on small, icy surfaces to challenge her skill, and would drive her hundreds of miles to tournaments with her doing homework in the back of the car.
She developed an aggressive and unorthodox style of play, using two hands on both forehand and backhand.
What has Marion Bartoli done in her tennis career?
Marion won the 2013 Wimbledon Championships singles title, after coming second in 2007.
She became a Wimbledon crowd favourite during her run to the winning final and forgave the BBC broadcaster John Inverdale after he asked Radio 5 Live listeners: “Do you think Bartoli’s dad told her when she was little: ‘You’re never going to be a looker?’"
He later apologised to her at the champions’ ball, where she replied: “Don’t worry about that, what do you think of my heels?”
She is the only player to have played at the WTA Tour Championships and the WTA Tournament of Champions in 2011.
She announced her retirement from tennis during the 2013 Western & Southern Open, citing pain caused by injuries in her career.
In June 2017, she made an appearance at the French Open.
Alongside Iva Majoli, Bartoli defeated Conchita Martinez and Chanda Rubin in their first game of their Group B Legends Double tournament.
What happened with Marion Bartoli’s weight?
After winning her Wimbledon title, supporters were left stunned after the French former tennis star lost three stone.
More worrying yet, Bartoli defended herself, saying she was just returning to her “natural shape” and “tiny frame” after dropping from 10st 7lb to 7st 5lb.
She later revealed the weight loss was down to illness after she posted a series of images of herself in hospital.
In January of this year, Bartoli posted pictures of herself looking like her old self on Twitter, much to fans’ relief.
She captioned the snaps: “Ready to #jump in #2017.
“Thanks so much to all of u for your support during this very difficult #2016, as u can see feeling a lot better.”
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