Ex-Wimbledon champion who was at centre of huge row with BBC looks unrecognisable from playing days
WIMBLEDON champion Marion Bartoli now looks unrecognisable a decade on from her triumph at the All England Club.
The Italian, 38, announced her retirement back in 2013, just one month after she claimed her first and only Grand Slam title.
It was as much of a shock as her Wimbledon victory – which she achieved as the No15 seed.
And off the court a storm also erupted following John Inverdale’s comments about Bartoli.
Speaking on the BBC – who Bartoli has subsequently worked for as a pundit – Inverdale said: “I just wonder if her dad, because he has obviously been the most influential person in her life, did say to her when she was 12, 13, 14 maybe, ‘Listen, you are never going to be, you know, a looker.
“‘You are never going to be somebody like a [Maria] Sharapova, you’re never going to be 5ft 11, you’re never going to be somebody with long legs, so you have to compensate for that.
“‘You are going to have to be the most dogged, determined fighter that anyone has ever seen on the tennis court if you are going to make it’.
“And she kind of is.”
Inverdale subsequently sent Bartoli a letter of apology, with the Wimbledon winner saying at the time: “It doesn’t matter, honestly.
“I am not blonde, yes. That is a fact. Have I dreamt about having a model contract? No. I’m sorry.
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“But have I dreamed about winning Wimbledon? Absolutely, yes.”
Inverdale reflected on the incident the following year, saying: “I was horrified for Marion.
“I understand how hard sports stars work to get to the top, and at her moment of triumph the last thing she wanted was some idiot distraction.”
Nowadays, Bartoli is seen as a pundit at various tennis events.
And she was present at Wimbledon last year as the women’s singles title was won by Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina.
Bartoli now has blonde hair which makes her look very different.
And she often wows fans in incredible outfits – such as the pink dress she wore while attending a dinner in the UAE last year.