Bartoli: “Serena will be disappointed if she doesn’t win Wimbledon”

Serena Williams might not have played a singles match on the Tour for a year – but former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli thinks she’ll be disappointed if she doesn’t win the title in 2022.

In the latest podcast episode of Match Points, Bartoli told host Josh Cohen that the 40-year-old’s will to win has not diminished in her absence from competition.

“To see her spirit after everything she has won is incredible to me, and she has this desire to just win every time she’s on the court,” said Bartoli, who reflected on Williams’s partnership in the Eastbourne doubles with new world No 2 Ons Jabeur. “You would think maybe she just wants to ease herself, find some momentum, find some form. Before Wimbledon, she just went into Eastbourne – and wanted to win the title there in doubles. And that mentality is, for me, what sets her apart.”

Bartoli – Serena is so hard to stop

Bartoli described Williams’s first-round draw against France’s Harmony Tan as “decent”, adding that if she gets some momentum, she could really make inroads.

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“If she finds some momentum, if she finds some form, if she’s able to get herself going and she goes through that first week with decent scores, not losing too much energy, she has absolutely a chance,” she predicted. “I think all the players know it in the locker room: when Serena gets going and finds some momentum, she’s so hard to stop.”

And for a great champion, nothing less than victory will be acceptable, thinks Bartoli.

“Knowing her, I would say semi-final would be incredible,” she said. “But I know if she doesn’t get the gold plate, she would be so disappointed. So I think she’s entering the tournament to get a champions’ trophy.”

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