Today’s biggest winner: Marion Bartoli
Wimbledon 2013 began with Rafael Nadal’s stunning ouster and continued to see Roger Federer, Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka all sent home before the tournament’s traditional middle Sunday. It was the first time since 2004 that Federer didn’t make a Slam quarterfinal. Serena’s loss sent home the 1/4 favorite to win — odds which rarely get used in a football game, let alone a 128-competitor tournament. It’s been one of the most bizarre Grand Slams in recent memory. The tennis Twitter world has taken to calling it #Wimbleweird and, as such, there’s no better potential winner than the quirky Marion Bartoli.
Quirky is too easy a word to describe the Frenchwoman, who will be playing in her second Wimbledon final on Saturday (she lost her first against Venus Williams in 2007). But sometimes the easy word is the best word. Bartoli looks like Luis Tiant when she serves, bounces around on her feet like Muhammad Ali before a title fight and takes practice cuts like she’s on-deck at the Home Run Derby. She’s had public fallouts with her father/coach, claims to have an IQ higher than Einstein’s and gives interviews that are actually insightful, a rarity in the modern tennis game.
Bartoli will face German Sabine Lisicki in Saturday’s women’s final. For as topsy-turvy as the tournament has been and for as low as their seeds (Nos. 15 and 23, respectively) the match-up isn’t all that stunning. Bartoli’s low groundstrokes help her thrive on grass and Lisicki has shown that she plays her best at the All England Club. It may not be Serena vs. Maria, but Saturday offers a compelling showdown between two women looking for the first Grand Slam.
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