Ouch and ouch again.
Marion Bartoli retired from professional tennis last year after winning Wimbledon. The Frenchwoman decided she wants to still stick around tennis to play. This one wasn’t her finest.
Marion decided to play an exhibition in Liverpool and they choose as her opponent 15 years-old Jodie Burrage. Easy for Marion, isnt’it it? Not really!
The teenager raced to a terrifying 4-0 lead in the opening set to win the opener 7-5. Then Marion retired for a shoulder problem when she was 2-3 down (not a champion’s move).
Bartoli: I just love to play
This was Marion’s comment before the match “I just still love to play. My body couldn’t take the amount of training and what I still had to do to be a professional tennis player, but to be a recreational tennis player is something I can probably do still. ‘If she beats me that’s fine. It’s not like I need to win any more. ‘”
Burrage: I just wanted to win a couple of games
The youngster comment was “I was really nervous, I was thinking, ‘Just get a couple of games’, or even a game. Then when I was out on the court, I couldn’t believe the score line and how I was playing. I played really well.
When I won the first game, I thought it was lucky. When I went 4-0 up, I was like, ‘Oh my God, you could get a set’. I didn’t think I’d win. Then I think I lost my focus a bit but I still managed to get that and then go up in the second.
Unfortunately she had to pull out, but still it was incredible. When I told my friends from tennis I was playing her, they were telling me I should be really excited not nervous. They’re going to be really happy for me.”
