Marion Bartoli hopes her first Wimbledon title will not be her last.
Bartoli earned superstar status on Saturday when she overcame Sabine Lisicki 6-1 6-4 on Centre Court.
The victory was remarkable given that she has been out of sorts both on and off the court this year.
The Frenchwoman, who was seeded 15th, had not progressed beyond the third round at any previous tournament before arriving in London, and in February her father Walter said he could no longer coach her, bringing to an end a rollercoaster 22-year partnership.
Despite early promise, which stemmed from her winning the girls’ title at the US Open 12 years ago, Bartoli would be the first to admit that she had not fulfilled her potential.
But having found peace with her new coach Amelie Mauresmo, Bartoli is playing the best tennis of her career and she sees no reason why she cannot add more grand slams to her trophy cabinet in the coming years.
“I am ready for the challenge,” the 28-year-old said. “One is pretty good for me. Even if I don’t get another one, I will still be very proud of it. But of course I’m going to try my hardest to get some more.
“Now that I have one, I definitely believe I can get more of them. It will take me some few days to realise that I am the Wimbledon champion.”