Getting to Know Marion Bartoli by Brad Falkner Wednesday, September 3, 2003 Marion Bartoli is one of the more fascinating player on the WTA Tour. Her unique brand of tennis is reminiscent of Monica Seles, minus the grunt. She smacks her two-fisted groundstrokes in the same fashion as her childhood idol Seles. The comparisons don’t stops there. Bartoli hugs the baseline like a nervous little monkey clinging to her mother. On the return of serve, she camps so close to the service line that she practically half vollies back her return of serves. Her pre-service ritual is an oscillating combination of hopscotch and the twist. Bartoli made her mark at the US Open in 2001 by wining the junior title. In January 2003, Bartoli broke into the top 100. In August, she cracked the top 50, reaching a career-high ranking of 45. She and partner Myriam Cassanova have advanced to the quarterfinals of the women's doubles. Last February at the Franklin Templeton Classic in Scottsdale, Kim Clijsters volunteered to talk and mingle with a group of Special Olympic athletes. When Clijsters had to take an emergency trip to the dentist and could not attend, Marion Bartoli stepped up and amiably agreed to take her place when others players could not or would not do so. Bartoli shared an inspirational story with the large group and signed autographs. Bartoli credits her sense of caring and compassion to her parents. Her father is a doctor, and her mother is a nurse. Since becoming Marion’s full-time coach, Dr. Bartoli no longer has time for making house calls. Instead, he has become a specialist in treating groundstrokes, serves and v olleys. Brad Falkner: How do you handle the long rain delays here at the US Open? Marion Bartoli: First I try to get into the gym to keep my physical training going, especially since we don’t have the chance to be out on the court hitting balls. I don’t like to spend too much time here in the players' lounge because there are too many people here. If I have time, I might go to a movie or just go back to the hotel and rest. Yesterday I did some shopping with my friends. This week is special because I did my training with Myriam Cassanova because we played doubles together. BF: Your game has often been compared to Monica Seles. MB: I was a fan of Monica when I was young. When my dad saw Monica winning the French Open in 1990 against Steffi Graf, he told me that’s the way that he wants me to play. I also like how she plays. My dream was to play against her in a match. I was expecting that this year in Miami, but then she had to pull out with an injury. My biggest dream in tennis was to play against Monica Seles, even if it was just to hit a few balls. I love her game, I love her attitude on court, and I love her spirit. BF: Do you see yourself one day winning a Grand Slam? MB: This is a big part of our dream -- to win a Grand Slam. Each day you’re not thinking about it, just thinking to be better each day. If your best is to win a Grand Slam, that’s perfect. But if your best is to be only in the semifinals, that’s fine too. Perhaps for some girls it is to be No. 1. Perhaps the best for me is to be only top 20. If I achieve my best, then I will be very happy. BF: What do you consider to be your greatest strength? MB: My swinging volley and return of serve. My best and favorite shot is to return hard and after, finish with a volley -- this is what I love to do. BF: You have a very unique pre-serving ritual. MB: My serve was always trouble for me; even now I have improved on it. Now I serve around 100 mph on my first serve, which is quite good for me. My dad has been trying to help me, and now I don’t do the twist any more on my serve. Sometimes I felt tight in my legs, so the twisting helped to loosen them up. Now I don’t do it anymore because physically I feel stronger. -- 啊，吾的焦躁表現得那麼明顯嗎？ --

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