Tennis: Wimbledon Champion Bartoli Wouldn’t Rule Out Return.

Marion Bartoli has admitted for the first time it would be hard to conceive the idea of never returning to tennis.

Marion Bartoli and the Venus Rosewater Dish at Centre Court.
Marion Bartoli and the Venus Rosewater Dish at Centre Court.

Earlier this month, the 28-year-old Frenchwoman brought her tennis career to an abrupt end by deciding to retire, 39 days after clinching the women’s singles title at the All England’s Court.

Speaking with the BBC Sport she said she knows the feelings could change but hasn’t come up with a second thought yet.

You can’t predict what is going to happen down the line.

“(Any return) would come from desire deep inside, but for now I am just not at this point at all. My career has finished,” she said.

Bartoli will be having a stint in the commentary box at this year’s US Open at Flushing Meadows, New York where she would also be visiting art galleries and museums.

She admits she’s not missed the pain of competing on the circuit after struggling with injury on her way to winning her first Grand Slam title.

She is aware that Martina Hingis, Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters all returned after taking a break from the sport, but does not think she would miss the competitive thrust.

Some of her plans for the immediate future includes trying to help other French players achieve success in the game, developing a fashion line with her American sponsor, and spending as much time as possible supporting Marseille’s football team.

And she insists she won’t be bothered by not competing on the first Tuesday afternoon of Wimbledon, when as a defending champion, she has earned the right to be the first to walk out onto Centre Court.

“That will be totally fine to me,” she said. “I think Phillip (Brook, the Wimbledon chairman) told me I will be in the Royal Box which is great, and I will be very happy as I think Sabine (Lisicki, this year’s runner-up) will do it, and she is my friend.

“But you know what, the 2013 Wimbledon title has just my name on it, and everyone will remember that.”