Marion Bartoli Retires From Tennis Citing Rigors of the Sport

Marion Bartoli, who won a career-defining title at Wimbledon a month earlier, announced her retirement from tennis on Wednesday after a second-round loss in the Western & Southern Open in suburban Cincinnati.

As Marion Bartoli retires from tennis as Wimbledon champ she concedes her body can no longer handle the strain of competing at the top level, according to CNN.

Bartoli, 28, told reporters after her 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 loss to Simona Halep that she was fighting through pain during the match and felt that her body could no longer hold up against the game's rigors, reported USA Today.

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"It's never easy, and obviously there is never a time to say it or whatever, but that was actually the last match of my career," Bartoli said in a news conference, reported USA Today. "I felt I just couldn't do this anymore."

It was a stunning announcement for the French tennis star, who captured her first Grand Slam win at Wimbledon in July, increasing her WTA ranking to a career-high No. 7 in the world, according to USA Today. ESPN reported that this year's Wimbledon was her 47th Grand Slam tournament, the most by any woman before winning one.

Bartoli's finest moment was marred by an off-hand comment by BBC reporter John Inverdale, who made a negative comment about her looks after she captured the Wimbledon women's singles title.

"Honestly, the match isn't really important to me right now," Bartoli told the Guardian.  "If I have to be tomorrow on the practice court and prepare for the next tournament, I won't be at 100 percent because my mind is not there, my heart is not there, and I just can't lie like that. That's not the way I've been raised. That's not the way I am. So, I prefer to stay true to myself rather than just cheating."

Bartoli won eight WTA titles. She played two tournaments after Wimbledon, going 1-2.

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"Everyone will remember my Wimbledon title," she said through tears at the news conference. "No one will remember the last match I played here."

Bartoli said once the joy of winning Wimbledon left, the pain returned and she found herself considering the end of her career, according to ESPN. She told the news conference her rough night on the court Wednesday convinced her that she had nothing left, with her Achilles, hip, shoulder and back aching and decided to call it a career.

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