STANFORD, CALIF. — As her recent Grand Slam results fully illustrate, No. 9-ranked Marion Bartoli is a new woman when it comes to improved physical conditioning. The two-hands-off-both-wings Frenchwoman survived three straight three-setters to reach the Roland Garros semis, where she was embraced by her countrymen, then reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals for only the second time in her decade-long pro career, outlasting Italy's Flavia Pennetta 5-7, 6-4, 9-7 in three-plus hours along the way.
She'd be the first to tell you she's always been a shotmaker; what she hasn't always been is a marathon performer. The 26-year-old, who moved on to the Bank of the West Classic semifinals on Friday with a speedy 6-1, ret. decision over Japan's Ayumi Morita (right ankle injury), says her newfound stamina and resulting mental toughness didn't happen overnight.
“The physical shape helps you to be mentally strong,” said Bartoli, who plans to pare back her schedule this summer in order to not arrive in Flushing Meadows overtaxed. “That's definitely the case for me when I'm feeling extremely fit — like right now. That helps me mentally to stay extremely stable and strong throughout the match, no matter what the score is. That's the main difference why I've been able to save match points, being close to being beaten and still being able to win matches. I really thought I had more energy than my opponent. In the end, it will pay off somehow. It didn't happen in one day — it was extremely long work. It's almost like two, or three years of work that's starting to pay off now. You have to stay strong for two or three years to see the results.”
That Bartoli has never advanced beyond the fourth round at the U.S. Open is somewhat surprising given her hard-court prowess and that she won the USO Junior title back in 2001. But with the women's field as wide open as it has been in many years, Bartoli might just find herself pushing toward her first-ever Grand Slam title in early September.
“Of course, with my results at the French Open and Wimbledon, I can expect myself to do well at the U.S. Open. But there are many contenders. You can say on one side that it's open, so you can go deep. But you can also be beaten in the first or second round. If you take my run at the French Open, in the first round [against Anna Tatishvili] I lost the first set 6-1 in 20 minutes. I had to turn the match around and I ended up being a semifinalist. At Wimbledon, I had to save match point in the second round [against Lourdes Dominguez Lino] before being a quarterfinalist. I think it shows you how dangerous it is in the first few rounds. But if I pass that, yes, I’ll be able to have a chance to go deep, but I have to remain extremely focused in the first rounds. That will be the key.”
