After beating Ana Ivanovic 6-4 7-6 to reach the semifinals of Indian Wells despite being sick, Marion Bartoli says that being France’s top-ranked player matters to her. The perennial Top 20 player has been her nation’s highest ranked player since former No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo retired.
"Honestly, yes," Bartoli said. "I always enjoy to be No. 1, even at school. I was a lot more No. 1 at school than in tennis before. But, yes, I took the leadership in 2007, and since that holding on to it. It's very important to me to be No. 1 in France. Of course, trying to improve my single ranking on the WTA Tour, as well. But I took it very seriously."—Matthew Cronin