Bartoli's comeback is to prove that she is alive

Marion Bartoli recently announced she is coming back to the tour, nearly five years after winning Wimbledon in 2013.

The 33-year-old Frenchwoman struggled with her health in 2016, losing so much weight that doctors refused to let her compete in a Wimbledon doubles exhibition.

Bartoli blamed a virus for her severe health problems, but recently,in a feature forL'Equipe, admitted she was also in a toxic relationship.

"When I retired, I was the happiest in the world," she said. "Then I met my ex-boyfriend in May 2014 and everyday he would tell me that I was fat. Every day. He would see a thin girl on the street and tell me: ‘See how skinny and pretty she is.'"

Over the past year, she has regained control of her health, and now she wants to play again to prove to herself that she's alive.

Bartoli's first WTA event will be Miami in March, and she said to not expect to see her on the ITF Pro Circuit.

"If I’m coming back, it’s to try and play big matches on the big courts and experience those feelings..." she said. "I’m not coming back to be ranked 100. I spent my entire career in the Top 20, and at my best in the Top 10."

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