Marion Bartoli and Amelie Mauresmo: The tale of a strong player-coach bond

Marion Bartoli of France celebrates victory with her coach Amelie Mauresmo after the Ladies’ Singles final match against Sabine Lisicki of Germany

But with time, Mauresmo came back to the game. This time around, she would be sitting in the player’s box as a coach. After coaching spells with compatriot, Michael Llodra, and former World No. 1, Victoria Azarenka, Mauresmo took on the challenge to coach her fellow Fed Cup partner, Marion Bartoli. It wasn’t a surprise to see the pair unite as the future trainee was always outspoken on her affection for her mentor.

She took on the job to guide someone who was mimicked by the tennis world for her over-dramatic personality on court. There was also another task – to coach someone who hadn’t returned to the elite mantle after a defeat in the Wimbledon Finals of 2007.

But the former World No. 1 understood what was in store. While the world perceived Bartoli to be just another one of those sporadic talents, Mauresmo saw this tournament as her best chance to win her first Grand Slam as a coach.

Saturday’s women’s final was a clash between the two underdogs, who had surprised many on their way for the summit clash.

Despite her strong showing at Wimbledon 2013, Marion Bartoli was by no means the crowd favourite as she took to the Centre Court. Till this championship, her game was nowhere reminiscent of the past champions of Wimbledon. Her biggest weakness going into the final against Sabine Lisicki was her serve that clocked not nearly as high as her opponent’s. Moreover, her jubilancy between points was a chime of the public’s humour too.

In short, if every bookie favoured any player to win this year’s championships, Marion Bartoli’s name would never have been in the fore-running. And that did not change even when the French No. 1 took on a lower ranked and less experienced opponent in the form of Sabine Lisicki.

While the crowd took to cheering every point Sabine Lisicki dominated, Bartoli held her nerve to smear her opponent in straight sets. But as much as she is to be credited with this win, her coach deserves as much mention as her.

As earlier mentioned, Bartoli’s game is not nearly as graceful as Mauresmo’s. What she lacks in her unorthodox style of tennis, she makes it up with her spirit, competitiveness and cut-throat killer instinct.

Also, during Wimbledon 2013, Bartoli’s ability to finish games was never in question as she progressed into the women’s final without losing a set. But when Lisicki lodged a comeback late in the second set, even the commentator could not but raise a doubt as to if the Frenchwoman can hold onto her nerve. And in the quickest of fashions, Bartoli responded by dismantling her opponent in the final game of the Championships.

Six years after she exited the green courts of Wimbledon as the runner-up, Bartoli resurrected her status as the Lady’s Singles Champion of 2013.

As her name was being erected amongst the halls of the victors at Wimbledon, Bartoli smirked with assured achievement. Like her coach, she proved everyone wrong.

Right now, Bartoli might be just hitting her peak in women’s tennis. While she has ways to go to earn the magma of respect that her coach adulates from the tennis fraternity, Marion Bartoli can sure bet to receive the right guidance from the latter to achieve that.

Women’s tennis, for a while, hadn’t seen such a glorious coach-player pairing. But now it has in its ranks a fierce competitor in the form of Marion Bartoli and a graceful mentor by the name of Amelie Mauresmo.