Former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli will get her first taste of competitive tennis in almost five years at a Tie Break Tens event in New York.
The former world No.7 has become the latest player to confirm their participation for the American leg of the Tie Break Tens series. It will be held in the United State for the first time in history at Madison Square Gardens. A multi-purpose indoor arena that has a capacity of over 20,000 spectators. Bartoli’s presence comes less than three months after she announced her intention to return to the WTA Tour for the first time since 2013.
“I’m delighted to be restarting my tennis career with Tie Break Tens, which is attracting new fans, young and old, to the sport.” Bartoli said in a statement. “The opportunity to compete again at the highest levels will position me well for the rest of the 2018 season.”
Tie Break Tens is a quick version of tennis that has been Inspired by Cricket’s Twenty20 concept. Unlike traditional tennis, matches consist of one tiebreak with the first player to reach 10 points winning. If the match is level at 9-9, play is continued until there is a difference of two points separating the players. The events take place during one night with the winner taking home $250,000 in prize money. Tomas Berdych won the Melbourne leg of the event earlier this year.
Bartoli, who has won eight WTA singles titles during her career, will be joined by world No.3 Elina Svitolina. The Ukrainian has started her season by winning the Brisbane International before reaching the quarterfinals at the Australian Open. Similar to Bartoli, it will also be her debut in the event.
“The opportunity to play Tie Break Tens with a world class line-up at such an iconic venue is incredibly exciting” Svitolina said. “Such a fast-paced format is always going to be a challenge, but I’m looking forward to using my competitive spirit and consistent play to give me the edge.”
It has already been confirmed that Serena and Venus Williams will headline the event. Serena is set to return to competitive tennis next week at the Fed Cup after missing almost 13 months of the tour to give birth to her first child. Meanwhile, 37-year-old Venus is ranked eighth in the world and is currently the oldest player in the top 100.
“The Tie Break Tens event at Madison Square Garden is shaping up to be a highlight of the tennis calendar,” said Felicity Barnard, CEO of Tie Break Tens. “With Elina and Marion entering the fray, the all-women tournament will be a great introduction of Tie Break Tens’ fast-paced, exciting format to American fans.”
There are still four additional players to be named for the women-only event. It will take place on March 5th. The same week as the BNP Paribas Masters in Indian Wells.
