Fan Fuel on WTA: Can Bartoli now be a serious contender?

Fan Fuel's Wasim Parkar looks at some burning questions as we head into the North American leg of the WTA Tour. Can Marion Bartoli now be a serious contender?

BY WASIM PARKAR – FAN FUEL BLOGGER

The women’s draw spectacularly threw up even more surprises than the men’s draw at Wimbledon this year. It’s time to look forward to the hard court season this summer by asking some burning questions about the North American leg of the WTA Tour:

Can Marion Bartoli now be a serious contender?

Marion Bartoli played two weeks of flawless tennis at SW19 to claim her maiden grand slam at Wimbledon. Bartoli conquered Wimbledon without dropping a set, subsequently erasing her memories of defeat to Venus Williams in the 2007 final.

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Bartoli’s greatest success has been on grass. The Frenchwoman will now have the added pressure of being a grand slam champion, and other women on tour will now be motivated to get her scalp. Whether Bartoli’s unorthodox shots and cunning angles will be as effective on hard courts will go a long way in determining how she fares this summer.

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