When Marion Bartoli and Sabine Lisicki walk out on Centre Court for the 127th women's final at Wimbledon, the crowd will make it entirely clear who they want to win. Lisicki, the 23-year-old they call "Boom Boom" in Germany, has captured the public's imagination with her big serve, her even bigger smile and the victories snatched from the jaws of defeat. The favourite with both pundits and punters, the support for her is likely to be as loud as it was in her epic semi-final against Agniezska Radwanska. Bartoli may face two foes: one across the net and the other in the stands.
Yet Bartoli, the French No1, has not lost a set on her way to her second final at SW19 and the 28-year-old is not bothered about playing the role of party pooper. "Well, I don't think I will have the whole crowd against me," she said. "At the end of the day, she's not British, as far as I know." Not much has got past her over the past fortnight.
It was a line that was delivered with a laugh and there were plenty of those from an engaging, thoughtful and often eccentric player. Reminded about how she gushed about Pierce Brosnan, her favourite actor, after she spotted him watching one of her matches when she reached the final in 2007, she giggled and said she wouldn't mind catching a glimpse of Ryan Gosling this time, while she said she might have a nap in the hours before the match, just as she did before her one-sided semi-final against Kirsten Flipkens on Thursday.
Bartoli, an unorthodox talent who hits her groundstrokes with two hands off both sides and practises her shots between points, was beaten in straight sets by Venus Williams six years ago and it remains her only appearance in the final of a grand slam. An occasionally difficult relationship with her father, Walter, who was her coach for much of her career, has not helped. Although he will be in her box on Saturday afternoon, they have now split and she has benefited from the guidance of the French Tennis Federation, the former Wimbledon champion and Fed Cup captain, Amélie Mauresmo, and her new hitting partner, Thomas Drouet. She has experienced dark moments but, for now, it is all sunshine and roses.
"Well, there is something off the court, and it's pretty much private," Bartoli, the 15th seed, said. "But, you know, it kind of affects me on my mood and my results because it was some tough things to deal with. But, again, I believe that what does not kill you makes you stronger. Now I'm just so happy again and so smiley. I'm having a great time off the court. I'm having an awesome time on the court. Everything is perfect again.
"I had some very low moments when I felt I pretty much hit rock bottom. But I kept my head up and I just wanted to win some matches again and have some good memories on court again. That's what drove me every single day to go on court, practise hard and try to improve on my game and my physical shape as well."
This is a final few predicted and the first since 1998 featuring two players not to have won a grand slam. It will be a battle of aggression – and of emotions, too. For all the admirers Lisicki has gained, there have been suggestions that she is less popular with her fellow players, something that was hinted at by Radwanska's frostiness at the net after their semi-final. The talk is that she puts on a show for the cameras. "Well, that's just myself," Lisicki said. "I enjoy myself out there. Why shouldn't I show it? I'm an emotional person. It helps me to stay relaxed, enjoy the game and play my best tennis."
Her best was too hot for Serena Williams to handle in the fourth round and it may be too much for Bartoli. Lisicki, the first German to reach the final since Steffi Graf lost to Lindsay Davenport in 1999, won their quarter-final two years ago and holds a 3-1 winning record over Bartoli, who will have to return the German's bullets with her own fire and also draw on her experience of the final in 2007. Lisicki, who has hit 39 aces to Bartoli's 12 and whose serves can reach a dizzying 122mph, has never been in this situation before and although she will be widely expected to win there were times in her match against Radwanska when she was hacking like a park player.
"It's hard to say before the match if it's an advantage or not," Bartoli said. "I'm feeling less stress than I was for my first final, for sure. But Sabine has played some amazing tennis so far. She might be too good for me. I think having the advantage of playing a final already will help me dealing with my nerves.
"We both hit the ball pretty hard, pretty flat. Sabine is definitely serving faster than me, especially on the first serve. I might take the ball a bit earlier. But obviously we both have the same thing, playing fairly flat and from the baseline and trying to hit some winners. But then of course I have to deal with her level of game." And no one has found a way to do that yet.
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