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WIMBLEDON

July 7, 2007

Marion Bartoli

LONDON, ENGLAND

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. No Pierce Brosnan today.
MARION BARTOLI: No. And I lost, you see.
No, uhm, he left me a bouquet of flowers this morning with a letter in my locker room, which I thought was really, really nice.
But, you know, to make a little more serious, Venus play some unbelievable tennis. I mean, she reached some balls like I never see one person reach some ball like that on a tennis court, and she would even hit it harder back to me.
She served 120 miles on first serve. Sometimes was hurting my wrist so bad because the ball was coming so fast to me. So I really try my best I think, and I play a great match, but at the end she was just too good.
I can't say a player can beat her when she play like this on grass. I mean, it's not possible to beat her. She's just too good, you know.

Q. Any injury to your wrist?
MARION BARTOLI: No. It was a little tight because when I was -- no, when you receive a ball at 120 miles, you get some shock into the wrist, which I'm not used to because I'm not playing against girls every day hitting the balls like this.

Q. There's no injury?
MARION BARTOLI: No, there's no injury. But my blister was pretty bad on my feet.

Q. You paid a lovely tribute to your father afterwards. Could you tell us a bit more about the kind of training you did together and the work you did when you were little with your dad.
MARION BARTOLI: Well, you know, it's a long process. I mean, I work with my dad since 16 years. It's difficult to explain it in such one minute.
But I think my dad always was believe in me, in whatever I was doing. It was tennis, classical dance. Before I was doing some classical dance, some ballet. It's cool. Always he has been believing in myself and in my capacity to be at the best, one of the best in the world in what I was doing.
So I think to see that from your dad, I think it's the best reward you can even imagine. To see in your eyes on your parents you can be one of the best, this give you so much confidence, so much strength, you're able to go and walk the world.
I think I did it. In this tournament, of course, show to everybody what I was able to do on the tennis court, and this happened because of him.

Q. Have you spoken to him since the match?
MARION BARTOLI: No, not really. I gave him a huge bottle of champagne. Lanson gave it to me very kindly, but not yet, no.

Q. You were a little teary eyed after the match. Were you releasing emotion?
MARION BARTOLI: No, I want this title so bad. I want it so much. I mean, for me to win this trophy and to hold it in your hands, this is the reward you can ever imagine in tennis.
And to be able to go to the ball and wear the dress and be with the men champion, everything that happen in this tournament, which is the only tournament happen like that. I want it so bad, and I lost.
And, you know, I'm a competitor and I hate to lose. I really hate to lose. Of course, tomorrow I won't be that disappointed because I will realize what I achieve, which is already awesome, of course. And everybody will tell me that.
But right now, because I want it so bad, yes, of course, I'm disappointed.

Q. Given what you said about Venus, how well she played, you're still disappointed?
MARION BARTOLI: Yeah, she play well, of course, but I still believe I was giving the hardest time to her in the first set, especially because I was down 3-Love.
I couldn't hold my serve in the first game. I mean, she was 1-Love up, but I could hold this serve and not be broken to 2-Love, and I broke her to get to 3-All. So, I mean, if I holding this serve I could be up 4-2 and get the break. So, I mean, everything could change.
But I thought after the first set she step it up so bad. I mean, she try to hit as hard as she could and serve to my body 125 miles, which against Justine I never had those kind of balls to return.
I still had my chances in the second set, but in the end she was just too good. But right now still believe I could make it. I didn't, but I had some chances to make it.

Q. Did you think about standing a bit further back? You were still standing up very close.
MARION BARTOLI: No, if you stay further back, she hits her target, so it's even worse. She hits the target and you cannot even touch the ball. It's even worst to stay back.

Q. Did I understand you to say this tournament is more important to you than Roland Garros?
MARION BARTOLI: It's different. I love the French Open because, first of all, I love Paris. Paris for me is a beautiful city in the world, by far.
Of course, I want to do well because I'm French. But, you know, Wimbledon is so special because of all those traditions. And to walk on Centre Court, and to go through this locker room to the Centre Court, see the trophies, and you walk into that court and you know you're a part of history.
I mean, it's going to be forever. I will be the finalist of Wimbledon in '07, and you feel that so much. I mean, you feel the crowd. The court, it's like you have the crowd so close to you, you feel it. You almost feel the people are cheering for you.
What you really do not feel in the French Open that much, or maybe the US Open, which is even a bigger stadium. But I feel all this tradition, and the Prince coming to the courts, all this stuff makes this tournament really, really special.

Q. Were there any other challenges besides the way Venus played that you had to deal with that affected the outcome of the match?
MARION BARTOLI: No, I don't think so at all. I mean, I think I really played my best. I mean, it was still very windy today and she gave me some hard time, but I do believe that I was not nervous. It's not because of my nerves that I lost this match.
I really play it the best I could possibly play today. And considering all the fatigue and all the stuff I had to get through for two weeks, it was my first final, I think I did a pretty good job overall.

Q. That curious little series of hops that you do before you serve the ball, how long has that been part of your repertoire? Has it ever changed?
MARION BARTOLI: A month and a half, and it was my best month and a half of my whole career (laughter). So I think it's not too bad to do it.
But, yeah, it's kind of relax my legs a little bit before to go to my serve.

Q. Using both hands on the racquet, is it a disadvantage with this faster serve, 125 miles per hour?
MARION BARTOLI: Yeah, I think it's kind of an advantage returning because you have two hands to absorb the ball and to get it back. But, I mean, when she serves straight to you it's really difficult because you have no time to react.
Especially on the match point, she served straight at me 126. What can you do? I mean, it's just so hard to return. I think with one hand, two hand, whatever, it's just so hard (laughter).
Especially on grass, because the ball takes so fast off of the ground. It's not like on clay. You have more time. But on grass, when it's arrive, 125 on the line, I mean, that's just too good.
If you can do that for two sets, it's just too good. And she did it today.

Q. Vaidisova, Ivanovic we thought were the players coming to join the top girls. You sprang upon us. What will it take for you to keep this level?
MARION BARTOLI: Well, you know, if I just keep focusing on my tennis, and you know, so much has been going on the last three days when I've been in the semifinal and of course in the final, and everything start to be a little too much.
I mean, all the things going around. So I just need really to focus on tennis. Tomorrow I will be back at home. We will be in a much quieter place. I won't have the Centre Court in my house playing tennis in the final of Wimbledon with I don't know how many person watching me.
I will be in my garden alone with my cat and everything will come back as usual. I think it's a very good stuff to put you back to earth. I mean, down your feet to earth and come back to the work.
Of course, if I keep the same way of playing tennis I will be in the top 10 for sure. I just need to stay focusing on what I'm doing.

Q. It's now time to go to the United States for the hard courts. What tournaments will you play leading up to the US Open?
MARION BARTOLI: Well, I don't know yet too much. It depends how will do, but for sure I will start in Stanford, going down then to San Diego. I will see. I'm sure Canada, Toronto. I will see if I play New Haven before the Open or not. But it's going to be like three or four tournaments before the Open.

Q. Is that too much?
MARION BARTOLI: If I play Stanford, San Diego, Toronto, US Open, it's not that much.

Q. You worked hard to fulfill what your dad saw for you. What did he give up for you?
MARION BARTOLI: I guess when I was young, I guess I'm pretty hard scheduling. I was going from school from 8:30 to 5:00. My dad was finishing his practice, see his clients. I was walking inside the car when my dad was going to see his clients from 5 to 7:30.
Then we had to practice from 8 to 9:30. I was coming back home at 9:30, have dinner. Then he wanted me to show him on my lessons, all my stuff I was doing. So I was still at 10:00 need to give it to him, all my works for the next day, all my homeworks. So he was watching everything. I was going to bed at 11, then waking up the next day at 7.
I mean, I think I have some pretty tough moments and that make me pretty tougher. But my dad I think gives everything to children. I have a brother. He has been the same. I think the most important to his eyes is his childs definitely, and everything goes for his child before him. I think this is a wonderful. And my mother is the same. I think to have parents like this is just a chance.

Q. What is your cat's name?
MARION BARTOLI: It's French. You won't understand.

Q. Do you have brothers and sisters?
MARION BARTOLI: My brother is Franck, one brother.

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