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Mumbai:
Marion Bartoli, has enthralled tennis fans the world over during her tennis career. The 30-year-old Frenchwoman, the 2013 Wimbledon ladies singles champion, is here in Mumbai to win the hearts of the citizens of the city and to inspire the runners during the 2015 Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon, this Sunday.
Bartoli, who is the Event Ambassador of the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon 2015, is pleased to be associated with the event. “I am very happy to be part of this great Marathon. Obviously it’s not my sport, but I have been running some marathons myself and know how it feels. Just really happy to see all those athletes from all around the world coming down for one amazing race,” said Bartoli, during a media inter-action.
The French tennis ace also has fond memories from her earlier visits to India. “I have been to India before some four times to play some tennis. I have been to Hyderabad, Delhi, Kolkata and Bangalore and my last visit was in 2007, so I am thrilled to be back in India. I left this morning and it was tricky to get a visa from my country in France, but I have to thank everyone for their efforts and I am pleased to have arrived in Mumbai and I deeply thank you all for having me here,” stated Bartoli, who has won eight Women's Tennis Association singles titles and three doubles titles stated.
The former Wimbledon champ, who retired from professional tennis in August, 2013 admitted that she has not spent much time in India but will certainly do so in the future. “During my earlier visits, since tennis is a week-long event, we would come 3-4 days early for each tournament, so overall I spent 40 days in India in the course of a career spanning 15 years, so that is not a lot. I am only 30 years of age and I am sure I will be back, my boyfriend is half Indian, so I know I will definitely come back. I always felt extremely happy to play in India just because the fans are so enthusiastic and also the people are always smiling and happy, which is obviously something which I often look forward to see. Sometimes in the western countries we always tend to forget that the most important thing in life is to smile.”
