“I would happily train Caroline Garcia all the way to Roland Garros" - Marion Bartoli offers to help Frenchwoman amidst poor form
After seeing Caroline Garcia face multiple early exits this year, former player Marion Bartoli has offered to assist her compatriot during the upcoming clay season, until the 2023 French Open.
A few days before last year's WTA Finals kicked off, Garcia and her former coach Bertrand Perret decided to part ways. However, the World No. 4 ended her 2022 season on a high as she beat 2023 Australian Open winner Aryna Sabalenka to win the year-end championships for the first time in her career.
2023 has been forgetful for the 29-year-old so far, with a win-loss record of 17-8. After early exits in Qatar, Dubai, and Indian Wells, Garcia lost her opener at the 2023 Miami Open against 74th-ranked Sorana Cirstea. Soon after, her strength and conditioning coach Laura Legoupil also ended her partnership with the player.
Speaking on the Bartoli Time podcast recently, the 2013 Wimbledon champion empathized with Garcia and offered to train her until this year's French Open, which begins on May 28. Bartoli stated that the three-time WTA 1000 winner played well last year after winning the French Open in the doubles category.
“I would happily train Caroline Garcia all the way to Roland‐Garros. There is no problem," Bartoli said. "She had been playing so well since Roland-Garros last year when she won the doubles with Kristina Mladenovic. She won a lot of matches. I told myself that everything was in place, finally. She was able to react to changes in the surface, to different conditions. She played well everywhere."
Bartoli remarked that the change in her coaching staff should not have been a problem since she was playing at a high level and that Garcia put unnecessary pressure on herself.
"Normally when a player has figured out what works, even changing coaches, she is able to repeat it with other people. I think there is also a mental backlash. She has a new status, no points to defend, everything to gain. She put more pressure on herself by saying to herself, 'It's now or never'," Bartoli added.
Caroline Garcia's coaches leaving when everything was working fine is hard to understand: Marion Bartoli
While Caroline Garcia's former coach Bertrand Perret stopped working with her in October 2022, her strength and conditioning coach Laura Legoupil decided to move on last week. Speaking on her podcast, Marion Bartoli expressed disbelief at her coaches leaving in quick succession, especially when Garcia was playing well.
"I think her choices are not insignificant and that at some point, something happened and caused these departures," Bartoli said. "Bertrand Perret, it was he who left, and Laura Legoupil, it was she who left. I find it hard to understand why they jumped ship when everything was working fine.
Apart from the fourth round of the Australian Open, Garcia reached the finals of the Lyon Open and the Monterrey Open this year, losing to Alycia Parks and Donna Vekic, respectively.