LONDON: Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli was beaten by a 15-year-old English schoolgirl as she turned out on a grasscourt on Thursday for the first time since her historic triumph.
Just over a year ago, Bartoli was lifting the Venus Rosewater Dish on Wimbledon’s hallowed Center Court having achieved her lifelong dream by defeating Germany’s Sabine Lisicki in the women’s final.
The 29-year-old Frenchwoman retired a month later and won’t defend her title at Wimbledon, which gets underway on Monday.
But Bartoli’s fond memories of England’s grasscourts persuaded her to accept an invitation to play in the Liverpool Hope University International Tennis Tournament at Liverpool Cricket Club this week.
Her first opponent in the exhibition event was teenager Jodie Burrage and Bartoli was virtually unrecognizable from the player who did not drop a set at Wimbledon last year.
The disbelief on Burrage’s face was clear as she raced into a 4-0 lead.
Bartoli won the next four games but could not save the set, and trailing 7-5, 3-2 she pulled out with a right shoulder problem.
Burrage, 208th in the junior world rankings, earned the chance to play in the event by winning a junior tournament in Liverpool last year and she said: “I can’t believe it. It’s amazing even to be able to play against her. So to win, it’s unreal.
“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 scoreline 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.”
Murray warms up for Wimbledon by beating Robredo
Meantime, Andy Murray warmed up for the start of his Wimbledon title defense with an emphatic victory over Spain’s Tommy Robredo at the Hurlingham Club on Thursday.
Murray’s preparations for the grasscourt Grand Slam had suffered a setback when he was surprisingly beaten in the third round at Queen’s Club by Czech veteran Radek Stepanek last week, a defeat that ended his 19-match winning run on grass.
But the Scot looked back in the groove as he dispatched world number 22 Robredo 6-2, 7-6 (7/1) in the BNP Paribas Tennis Classic exhibition event.
It was another pre-Wimbledon boost for the 27-year-old, who heard earlier in the week that he will be seeded third in the Grand Slam due to his good record on grass, even though he is currently ranked fifth in the world.
Murray’s Wimbledon campaign will get underway on Monday when he walks on to Center Court as the first British male defending singles champion since Fred Perry.
It is certain to be a pressure-packed fortnight for Murray, especially as his partnership with new coach Amelie Mauresmo will be closely scrutinized.
Frenchwoman Mauresmo was Murray’s shock choice to replace Ivan Lendl, initially on a trial basis until the end of the short grasscourt season.
Wimbledon champ Bartoli beaten by schoolgirl
