2007 Wimbledon Finalist Marion Bartoli is a very eclectic player. She is French with an Italian sounding name. She is a natural left hander but plays right-handed. She plays an unorthodox two-handed backhand and forehand. Her racket is extra-long for more reach on her groundstrokes and serve. She has a slightly angry look on her face for most, if not all of the match. Bartoli does not have the body type of a typical tennis player either. But, she is intense and wants to win.
Playing Style
Bartoli is a hard and heavy powerhitting player. Her serve is not bad but it does not have a lot variety. Where Bartoli gets her opponents is with her baseline rallies. She uses her two-handed strokes to hit heavy balls crosscourt (the diagonal length of the court) and finishes points with sharp angles. When she comes to the net, she has a good arsenal of volleys and a pretty good overhead.
Why She Wins
Bartoli is well known on the tour for being smart. She likes to do math problems in her spare time. Thus, she understands very well the geometry of the court and works that into a game plan with her coach, who is also her father. Bartoli also has awkward rituals due to the training of her father. A lot of jumping about and racket-moving between points can be very distracting to players. It is unclear as to how much of this is gamesmanship and how much is necessary. She will play through any injury as well. She is a tremendous fighter.
Why She Loses
As mentioned before, Bartoli is a product of her and her father’s experimentation. So it is hard for them to know what is right or wrong as far as the subtleties of her game are concerned. Sometimes small adjustments in a serve can throw her whole game off until she gets used to it. Hence, she is always trying to take it to the next level so she does not develop the good habits for the level she is on. In addition, the awkward rituals may irritate some players to losing but some players get irritated to winning. Most of tennis is mental. So, if an opponent hates a player or a player’s style, they will fight harder to win. It is hard enough when an opponent hates to lose. But if they hate the player, they could lose to everyone but that person. And, Bartoli often falls victim to this mindset from her opponents.
Marion Bartoli is definitely a player worth checking out. There is a lot to love about her and a lot to dislike. Hero or villain, she is fun to watch.
Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE
2 Comments
Tennis has never really been one of my favorite sports but this year’s Olympics has given me a different appreciation for the sport of tennis.
That is good to hear. I really hope that these articles raise female player appreciation. Many people know who the Williams Sister’s are, but not many can remember who they beat or who beats them. Even if Serena was stripped of all that she accomplishes, she is still a tremendous athlete that deserves our recognition as tennis players and watchers.
Tennis is a great sport to watch because it is year round and the women’s game has evolved from the way they hit the ball to the way they dress. Almost all women are represented in a professional form. There is also something admirable about a player that decides to go pro and has to win matches to eat until they hit the big time.