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WIMBLEDONJune 22, 2014Marion BartoliLONDON, ENGLAND THE MODERATOR: I have great pleasure in introducing Marion Bartoli, our current ladies singles champion. We'll take questions, please. Q. Do you feel slightly nostalgic coming back and not being able to go out there on court and play? MARION BARTOLI: No. Actually it feels different, of course, but it feels great actually coming back still as the defending champion. I really enjoy those two weeks. I knew when I announced my retirement last year I would not be able to defend my title this year. Just an amazing moment to kind of coming back and see all those flashback from last year, all those pictures around, and having my name engraved on this champion's board, it's just absolutely amazing. I feel extremely honored and quite proud, to be honest. It is very emotional, for sure. Q. Any regrets now that you're back here? MARION BARTOLI: Look at my shoulder. Literally I can't even lift my arm every morning. It was the same last year, and didn't improve from a year after, even without playing much tennis. So definitely no regrets at all. I totally moved on into something different. I just launched my shoe line three weeks ago during the French Open. Designing jewelry, too. So many things going on in my life right now, but just extremely honored to be still the 2013 Wimbledon champion and reigning champion just for the last two weeks. Q. What do you miss the most about being away from the tour that you spent a lot of your life to this point on, and what do you miss the least or happiest about having left behind? MARION BARTOLI: What I miss the most is probably the last five seconds of my final, which is when I'm about to serve and I serve and I ace. Kind of showing it's an ace and knowing it's an ace and knowing I won Wimbledon, that's probably what I'm missing. Other than this, I don't miss every morning having to wake up and not being able to lift my arm; having my whole body terribly sore; having to travel; pack and unpack; all the practice time you have to book; make sure you're just having your schedule ready. Everything has to be ready every single day. I really enjoy every single second of my tennis career. It was not heavy for me. I was so driven. I was ready to do everything I need to do in order to fulfill my dream. I was extremely fortunate to do so last year, especially in this magical place as it is in Wimbledon. So, you know, I knew when I finished, I was kind of escaping or putting on the side. I didn't know what was in front of me. Now I know what is in front of me, which is great. But it's just an absolute privilege to be a Wimbledon champion, and I am actually like it's almost better than me. You know, sometimes people ask me, Who are you? I just say, I'm the Wimbledon champion. It just speak by itself. I don't even need to mention my name (smiling). Q. Even though you're not back, your coach is back with the defending men's champion. Were you surprised at the appointment? MARION BARTOLI: Which coach, 'cause I have a hitting partner, I had a fitness coach. So which one? (Laughter.) Q. Amélie. MARION BARTOLI: Amélie. Q. What do you make of the appointment? Also, can you give us any insight what she will bring to Andy Murray? MARION BARTOLI: Actually, I met her this morning by Aorangi. We were talking about it, that she's kind of the defending champion here and she has to defend a title. I think it's amazing to see that a guy, I mean, really one of the top players in the world, is hiring a woman to coach him. That is showing also the next generation that it is really moving on and women can actually coach some guys. It has been the case in football already, and now is bringing to tennis, so that's really a huge step forward. I'm sure it's going to be a great combination. I mean, Amélie kind of won Wimbledon as a player, as a coach without dropping a set with me last year, so... She is definitely on a good roll. Q. If you could give yourself, when you first started going into tennis, advice now in light of what you said about what you don't miss, what would you tell yourself? MARION BARTOLI: I would not change anything to what I did before. I mean, yes, it was difficult. Yes, I found I could of quitted a million time. But at the end of the day, that was my path. That was my destiny, to kind of win it when expecting the less. Honestly, I felt like in 2011 when I enter Wimbledon, coming out from the French Open semifinal, winning in Eastbourne, and arriving here, I felt that was my best chance to actually win the title. Then I arrive in 2013. When I expected totally the less, that's when actually that I won without dropping a set. So I would probably just tell myself, Well, just dive in and just see how it goes. And here went beautifully. I mean, it was a fairytale that actually happened to my life last year. I finally got my title. I finish without dropping a set on an ace. That's the last memory that stays forever inside my heart and my mind. I wish I could have won ten. I just won once. But it's just the best one actually I won. Q. What particularly did Amélie bring to your team last year? What thing did she do that made a difference last year? MARION BARTOLI: Well, reflecting back, I think she‑‑ I worked with my dad for 22 years. We probably did 90% of the work all together. But then you have this 10% are missing. Everyone brings a little 1% or 2% extra on the table. My fitness coach bring probably 2%. My physio bring a lot to the table, helping me to be ready every single day. Amélie gave me this really extra confidence boost that I really needed in term of knowing that when I'm on the court I could win the match. Sometimes that's what I was lacking. I was kind of doubting myself in terms of whether I'm good enough to actually beat my opponent, whether I'm good enough to deal with the situation. She really give me this confidence that, yes, I'm good enough; yes, it's going to be okay; yes, I work hard enough to actually be a Grand Slam winner. I never felt during the whole course of last year's Championships, I never felt uncomfortable. I always felt very comfortable in every situation, even when it gets extremely tight. When I was about to serve at 5‑4 and I was leading 6‑1, 5‑1, and here I am 20 minutes later and it's 5‑4 and the match is about to turn. That's when you actually really need someone is giving you this confident look that's saying, Well, everything's just going to be all right. I just won my game to love and I just won Wimbledon. She really gave me this confidence boost. Q. Even though you haven't been playing, you've been at a lot of tournaments this year in different capacities. What have you seen about the world of tennis from this different perspective that you didn't know about it before? MARION BARTOLI: Nothing is quite different. Just the thing is I'm not taking my racquet and going on court. It was very funny, because this year in Paris, before the French Open, a lot of people were saying, Good luck for the French Open this year. I was like, Actually, I wasn't going to play. People actually still in France kind of, I don't know, don't know that I retired. They are like, Good luck for the French. I'm like, I don't think I'm going to play this year. It's the same here at Wimbledon. I was in the Village this morning. So how do you feel? Do you feel it's going to be hard to defend your title? Uhm, not really, because I'm not going to defend it (laughter). You know, just everything the same. You see your kind of opponent as friends, but it was the same when I was playing. I always saw them as friends and opponent occasionally, but not on a daily, daily basis. Just everything is the same except I don't have to ask for the schedule the next day. Q. With John Inverdale, you seem to be very forgiving of the much publicized comment. MARION BARTOLI: I have a very short‑term memory. This is my problem (laughter). We actually have a very good friendship. We just talked briefly about 'the situation' before, saying he actually made a comment that he was not supposed to do, that he didn't meant it, whatever, whatever. You know what? Last year for me it was all about winning Wimbledon and making my dream a reality. That was all I was caring about. Just me having this pure joy inside me. I didn't really reflect at all into his comments. It didn't affect me at all. I was just happy to have this trophy inside my hand. It was just purely and simply like this. You could have tell me David Beckham is waiting for you outside the room. I would say, I don't care because I just have the trophy. Q. Notwithstanding Amélie's appointment as Andy Murray's coach, is it not indicative of a wave of sexism in tennis? MARION BARTOLI: I don't think so, no. Amélie's a great coach. Andy is thinking for a great coach and thinking for Amélie. It's just very simple. Sometimes you just don't have to say everything complicated. It's just extremely plain and simple. Q. Is it what Amélie says to you that's the key? Not so much the work she does with you on the court but the psychological aspect she's good at? MARION BARTOLI: Yeah, she's very good in this. You know, she was my captain during the Fed Cup. The Fed Cup tie I play for France in Besançon. I didn't play in singles for a long, long time before. We had to play against Kazakhstan in order to not go into Group 2. It was a lot of pressure on every player. She makes you feel very comfortable in a very difficult situation. That's probably because she went through all of them as a player. She's able to really give you the great advices and the great boost and the great mental spirit. That's really what I felt as a player. She was not spending a lot of time with me on the court, but more outside getting me ready for the match, and then of course in the stands during the match. Q. It was an emotional time obviously for you last year. Emotional as well for the person you beat. Have you spoken to Sabine since? Do you want her to go one step further this year? Who do you think your favorite is? MARION BARTOLI: Gosh, that's a lot of questions at once (laughter). So let me come back. Yes, I saw Sabine many times after Wimbledon, different tournaments where I went. We didn't speak at all about Wimbledon. We just spoke about my new life, her still being on the circuit, the tournament she was about to play, how she was feeling, et cetera, et cetera. Some girl stuff. And then do I think she's going to go a step further this year? Well, you know, Sabine really loves Wimbledon. Obviously she did so well not only last year but the years before. She is kind of able to really come in here and being a total different player from what she is during the whole year. I think it's going to depend on how she feels in the first two or three rounds and moving on into the second week. I'm sure if it's not this year, at least she will have another shot in being into the Wimbledon final. Whether she can win it or not, that's another story. But I think she will be there one more time. Q. Tennis is full of colorful characters. Out of the new generation of players who did well in Paris, Eastbourne last week, is there one that you have an eye on to become a big star? MARION BARTOLI: Well, I think there is many. Obviously Eugenie Bouchard from Canada; Madison Keys; Garbine Muguruza. There are different players that can achieve great results on different surfaces. I think the new trends is these youngsters are coming out and are not afraid to beat the big players and the established players. When you see Serena going out 6‑2, 6‑2 to Muguruza in a Grand Slam, that's really not something we're used to seeing maybe five or ten years ago. A top player might go out in tough matches, very tough matches. Not 6‑2, 6‑2 like that. I think they're really coming out fearless and they just play and believe every time they're on the court they're going to beat whoever is on the other side of the net. I think that's something that's definitely coming from the new generation. They're just kind of coming out and say, Well, we're good enough and we're going to show the world. Q. How often do you look at the trophy? The tradition is the women's defending champion plays the first match on Tuesday. Where will you watch that match from? MARION BARTOLI: Well, I think I'm invited into the Royal Box. If I don't do anything stupid by Tuesday, I think I will be there. Then how often do I look at my trophy? Well, my trophy is actually at home. I'm not really often at home due to my new life and my shoe collection and all the work I'm doing. So I actually have the picture inside my phone. I look very oftenly, I have to admit. But my dad or my mom are the ones who are keeping the trophy. So they have the chance to see it every day and I don't. I'm missing it. But I probably YouTube my final point, my ace, once every two days (laughter). Q. Do you think winning Wimbledon was fate when you look back at it? MARION BARTOLI: Do you believe in miracle? I think it was a miracle. I think it was truly a miracle. You have to understand that every morning I couldn't lift my arm. If I didn't have the help of my physio actually warming up my shoulder, I couldn't literally lift my arm. It was the same with my back and the same with my Achilles. I really put all the energy and desire that I had inside my body into this Championship. I really felt it was my total last effort, and somehow I was able to do it. That's probably what I will remember only about my whole career, is those two weeks when I put everything I had inside me, into my desire for fulfilling my dream, and I was able to do so. Q. Simona Halep was the last player you played. Does it give you particular pleasure to... MARION BARTOLI: I was having a good time. Why do you have to bring this up? (Laughter.) Tell me. Q. Would it give you a particular pleasure if she did well at this tournament seeing she had such a good French Open? MARION BARTOLI: I don't really care. No, I kind of erased totally what happened after Wimbledon. It's not even in my mind anymore. For me, my career stop when I have this trophy inside my hand. That is the last memory I have. I don't remember what I did after. I visited Marseille, the soccer team. Other than this, I just don't remember much. Probably the physical shape I was, especially with my very, very bad shoulder after Wimbledon, you know, I couldn't play more than 30 to 40 minutes. So it turns out I play against Simona the last match. It could have been anybody else really. It was the end. My body couldn't do anything anymore. Q. Was there any discussions about you continuing your relationship with Amélie? MARION BARTOLI: Amélie is the Fed Cup coach so I can't hire her full‑time. She's there for all the Fed Cup players. I didn't have the right to hire Amélie as a full‑time coach. It was just not possible regarding the rules of the French Federation. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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