Healthy-again Bartoli to make comeback
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Former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli announced her professional comeback after a four-year absence in a video posted to her Instagram account on Tuesday.
The 33-year-old retired immediately after winning the 2013 Wimbledon title, fulfilling a lifelong ambition.
“It’s going to be a huge challenge, I still have a lot of practice ahead of me,” she said. “I’m really looking forward to being on the court again... Especially in Paris at Roland Garros in my home country, but also for the Fed Cup and Wimbledon.”
The Frenchwoman added that she was aiming to return at the Miami Open hard court tournament in March.
She has won eight WTA Tour titles and reached a career-high ranking of seventh in 2012, before carving out a successful career as a television pundit after retiring.
In 2016, Bartoli suffered from a mystery virus that saw her lose 20kg of weight.
She said that she feared for her health after pulling out of an exhibition event at the All England Club ahead of Wimbledon that year.
But a month later, she said she was “on the road to recovery”, after struggling with an illness that medical experts said was so rare they had no name for.
Bartoli was the last French player to win a Grand Slam singles tournament four years ago, and is the only one to have won a Major title since Amelie Mauresmo won Wimbledon in 2006. — AFP
Djokovic picks new format for Oz Open warm-up
Sydney: Former world No. 1 Novak Djokovic will warm up for a tilt at a record seventh Australian Open crown by playing in an innovative quickfire event at the Melbourne venue. Djokovic, who has been sidelined since July with a right elbow injury, is making his long-awaited return to the game at an exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi on December 28-30. The Serbian world No. 12 and volatile Australian Nick Kyrgios will headline the eight-man Tie Break Tens tournament at Margaret Court Arena at Melbourne Park on January 10. Each match will last for one tiebreak, with the first player to 10 points winning. The entire tournament will be completed on the night, and the winner will pocket US$250,000. — AFP
