Wimbledon 2013: Bartoli in dreamland

Wimbledon Champion 2013: Marion Bartoli

Wimbledon 2013: Bartoli in dreamland

It has taken me a long time to get my thoughts down about the 2013 Wimbledon Ladies Singles Final. I think it is because I am still in a bit of shock.

Marion Bartoli is a Grand Slam champion and in the end a deserved one as the French No.1 played an excellent final. She did not drop a set during any of her seven matches, something seven-time champion Steffi Graf never achieved but it is fair to say that the legendary German always faced bigger challenges than Bartoli did this year.

But it is not Bartoli's fault that the draw opened up nicely for her and she certainly, and impressively, took full advantage.

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Bartoli and Lisicki pre-final from my Centre Court seat

When I was lucky enough to get a Ladies Final ticket I never expected to see Bartoli vs Sabine Lisicki. Of course I did 100% expect to see reigning champion Serena Williams but she was felled by the superb Lisicki.

Having then seen off Laura Robson's conqueror Kaia Kanepi and edged past 2012 finalist Agnieszka Radwanska Lisicki in my mind, and many others, entered the final as the favourite.

When the German unleashed some crunching groundstrokes en route to breaking Bartoli in the opening game I thought to myself 'she's got this' as there didn't appear to be any Lisicki nerves in her first major final and by far the biggest match of her career.

I spoke too soon. Bartoli broke straight back and almost immediately the match spun on it's head. The Frenchwoman looked strong and confident and the German 23rd seed looked like the nervous major final debutant.

In the blink of an eye Bartoli had raced through the opening set 6-1.

Lisicki stopped the rot to hold at the start of the second set and then held break points for 2-0. At this crucial juncture Bartoli held strong and saved each break point with strong aggressive play.

Had Lisicki managed to go up a break perhaps she could have turned the match around but instead Bartoli maintained her dominance and having held went up 3-1.

In a tight fifth game Lisicki had chances to get to 2-3 but could not hang on and Bartoli broke again for 4-1.

With Bartoli reaching championship point at 6-1 5-1 we were on the verge of the most decisive Wimbledon victory since Billie Jean King crushed Evonne Goolagong in 1975.

Defiantly Lisicki fended off three match points and then broke Bartoli - who showed the slightest glimpse of nerves with one double fault - to get back to 3-5.

Pat Cash-style Bartoli clambers into the Player's Box to celebrate

When Lisicki held to get back to 4-5 the pressure was fully on Bartoli. However serving for the title a second time the French 15th seed displayed nerves of steel.

Having won a crucial hard hitting rally on the first point Bartoli setup a fourth championship point.

Her final serve clipped the line and with a puff of titanium pigment Marion Bartoli was Wimbledon champion after an hour and 21 minutes of play on Centre Court.

Evidently the key difference was experience at this stage of a Grand Slam. The experience of playing Venus Williams in the showpiece match six years ago played huge dividends for Bartoli and six years of experience playing at a high level gave the 28 year-old a hug advantage.

Hopefully Lisicki will get herself into a second major final in her career and will enjoy a similar moment of glory. With her weapons she will deserve it.

However there is no denying that in this most unusual of Wimbledons the Ladies Championship belonged to Marion Bartoli.