YES, I CAN!

She had it within her for some time now, but after her miraculous run to the Wimbledon final in 2007, she just couldn't make it come across in her performances. For a while it was funny how she kept on insisting that she feels like she can be the best player in the world. With the lack of results, her attitude passed as pure arrogance and she was laugh at.
Nevertheless, recently things suffered a radical turnaround. I am not sure what caused the change, but for a couple of weeks now, we are witnessing a totally different Marion Bartoli stepping on to the court. She is more determined, she is hanging in there, she is putting on a fierce fight until the very last ball and she has even passed her tendency to retire halfway through her matches. And the results are starting to appear. After a shaky start at her Wimbledon campaign, the Frenchwoman cause a big commotion with her two sets win over two times defending champion, American Serena Williams. More impressive than the victory itself, was the manner in which she kept on battling, holding off a late comeback from her opponent. I admit I doubted she will be able to pull if off. Succumbing Serena in a Grand, even a week after an extended lay-off, is a remarkable feat.

It might have taken her longer than expected to beat Spanish Lourdes Dominguez Lino and all her inner strength to overcome Italian Flavia Pennetta 9-7 in the decider, but after an utterly convincing performance against one of the all time greatest, Bartoli reassures her credentials as one of the hottest players left in the draw.

She is not a natural born athlete, therefore she is an exotic addition to the game. She has her peculiar moves, her aching serve, her two-handed shots on both sides, her quick races in between the points, but it all comes together for her. Nonetheless, it must have taken her all the perseverance in the world to get to where she is at the moment. Additionally, lately she is complementing this with the right attiude. Whether she wins or loses, she doesn’t hold anything back, giving her all. As a result, she is rather winning than losing. Not sure how long she will be able to keep this level going, but I genuinely think that she deserves a Grand Slam. This could very well be her time, although she faces tough competition against German Sabine Lisicki.

"No matter what the result will be, I will still be proud of myself", she told journalists during the press conference after her three hours and nine minutes amazing win over Pennetta. Whether she gets hold of the Venus Rosewater Dish or not, she should apply her motto.

Bartoli stuns defending champion, American Serena Williams, 6-3,7-6 to book her place in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon for the second time in her career.

photos:  GETTY IMAGES