London: Marion Bartoli took out her anger on her family on Saturday, sending her parents packing from Court 12 after losing the first set against Flavia Pennetta in the third round at Wimbledon. And it worked.
After dropping the first set, Bartoli rallied to beat her Italian opponent 5-7, 6-4, 9-7 to reach the fourth round.
Bartoli's father and coach, Walter, had to watch the last two sets on television but she said there were no hard feelings afterward.
"He said it was the best match he ever saw me play here in Wimbledon," said Bartoli, the 2007 runner-up at the All England Club. "He was very proud of me, and my mom the same."
Bartoli said she was so tired after playing for more than three hours that she couldn't remember exactly how she had expressed her feelings.
"I think I was really clear," she said. "I need to express something somehow. I need to get that frustration out, so I show it that way. I could have broken a racquet. It would have been the same. So I think it was just a matter to release the frustration and start again.
"Normally I never act like that. I felt at this point I had to get all this frustration out and start again."
Bartoli has had a hectic schedule recently. After reaching the French Open semifinals, the 26-year-old Frenchwoman won the Eastbourne title on Saturday, playing her semifinal and final matches in one day because of rain. Her last two matches at Wimbledon have gone to three sets.
"At the end of the match, when I walked out of the courts to the locker room, I had to sit down for five minutes because I was not able to see clearly anymore," she said. "I was extremely tired.
"I really had to finish this match somehow. I really don't know how I did it. But really, I used every single bit of energy I had in my body today to find a way to win."
She now plays four-time champion Serena Williams on Court 1 on Monday and her parents will be invited to watch.
"We work well together. I won't be there without him. It's teamwork," Bartoli said. "A lot of matches my dad really helps me... So I don't think it's a very good solution to do it like that every single match."
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