Ex-Wimbledon champion, Bartoli to return to WTA Tour at 33

Former Wimbledon champion, Marion Bartoli will return to the WTA Tour in 2018, bringing an end to more than four years in retirement.

The French woman, 33, quit the sport in August 2013 citing persistent injury problems, less than six weeks after winning her only Grand Slam title.

“It’s going to be a huge challenge,” said Bartoli, who will make her comeback at the 2018 Miami Open beginning on 19 March.

“I still have a lot of practice ahead.”

Speaking on Instagram, she added: “I’m really looking forward to being on the court again, especially in Paris at Roland Garros in my home country, but also for the Fed Cup and Wimbledon.”

Bartoli has won eight WTA titles and reached a career-high world ranking of seventh in 2012. She was also Wimbledon runner-up in 2007.

She won her first Grand Slam at the 47th attempt – the longest wait in women’s tennis – by beating Germany’s Sabine Lisicki 6-1 6-4 in the final.

In 2016, she revealed she had “feared for her life” after contracting an unknown virus that caused dramatic weight loss.