Marion Bartoli
  (Photo: Lynxy) Practicing in Eastbourne

AEGON International
Eastbourne
Round 1

G. Dulko [ARG] vs. M. Bartoli [FRA]

Back in the day, Marion wrote cheerfully of spending an evening at the bowling alley with Gisela Dulko and her brother.

Many of the things she has written in blogs from years gone by have been adopted by fans and parodied by others - but either way they have left a lasting and largely positive impression of the lovely person that is Marion Bartoli.

These days Marion says she doesn't go out much, and it's two years sine she played her last doubles match.

Your first instincts may be that it's sad, that, Marion Bartoli has lost something. But has she?

Three years ago when Marion was blogging from Seoul she was in a different place as a tennis player. She was on the fringes then.

To some now, she is seen as a giant killer, a dark horse, a very dangerous floater. To others. she is a heavy-weight, a real contender on grass and hard courts. Either way she is undeniably a serious player. She has left her mark in the years hence. She hadnt beaten players, like Jankovic, Dementieva, Henin, or Davenport in grand slams back then. She was the relatively anonymous wallflower of French tennis, in the shadow of the likes of Mauresmo and Golovin.

If Marion has made personal sacrifices in some areas, it's done in the name of personal gain in other areas. Without question Marion Bartoli has gained more than many would have expected of her back in 2006. Indeed a few months ago I read an old forum thread from 2004 bemoaning the demise of Marion Bartoli, with posters imparting thier best expertise as to how Marion had the potential to be a, top 50, player (!) if only she had got a different coach. (!!!)

Marion has had to choose between the attitude of the regular dilletante, and the attitude of the committed professional. The latter oath so manifest in the picture above - Fiercesome, almost scary. With all this talk of bridges this week, perhaps something I wrote back in January (Brisbane) distills what i'm trying to say.....

Sporting a new outfit, Marion certainly has the wow factor doesnt she. The outfit is great and those shoulders, look at how that muscle spans her neck like finest steel wire on a suspension bridge. And look at that face, look at the commitment, look at those eyes. If Marion is obsessive. That yellow ball is the compulsion.. Hit me. Go on. Hit me. Do it. And again and again and again, until Game Set Match Tournament and Trophy is all miiiiiiiiine! If you didnt know any better you could be forgiven for worrying about Marion's welfare looking at those eyes sometimes. Watching the moments of euphoria when it goes really well, and the moments of abject despondency when it isn't going well. But before we start to go all Beverly Hills therapist over her (as unfortunately so many do), let us be reminded that there is actually nothing wrong with a woman who is very highly motivated, highly gifted, and highly intelligent. What you're looking at in those eyes is actually a whole different stratosphere of ability and attainment than most mere mortals ever realise in their lifetimes. Your looking at a different reality encapsulated in a snapshot of total-competition. Applied ambition without restraint. No holds barred.

....That's what it takes.

So no bowling alley tomorrow, just a woman weilding a racquet with all the anaerobic intensity of a hammer thrower. (As you will see from a simply awesome photo I will put on the slide later).

In round 1 Marion plays someone she has beaten twice and is yet to drop a set against.

Gisela Dulko isn't known for her grasscourt ability, like a lot of latin players she has did better at the French Open than Wimbledon. However, she can give players problems, especially in a round 1 new surface scenario. So it's important that Marion get off to a good assertive start on grass this year. If her intense practicing is anything to go we can be confident she will.

Marion has been practicing with Agnieszka Radwanska, the Eastbourne titleholder who beat our favorite in last year's semi final.

Gisela Dulko
Gisela Dulko 2007
(Photo: Markabq via Wikipedia)

Thanks to Lynxy for the photos from Eastbourne

Update

Marion's match will take place Tuesday.