Veteran French tennis star Marion Bartoli has named current women’s World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty as the favorite to lift the title at Roland-Garros this year.

Barty, who missed the entire stretch of the last season on account of the COVID-19 pandemic, already has three Tour titles, including the prestigious Miami Open, to her name this year.

Ashleigh Barty missed out on her second title on clay this year at Madrid

The 26-year-old Australian has had a phenomenal season on clay, playing two finals and winning one in Stuttgart, Germany. However, in a rematch of the Stuttgart final in Madrid, the top-seed lost in three sets to Belarussian Aryna Sabalenka. Carrying her dazzling run of form from Madrid and before, Barty reached the quarter-finals in Rome.

But all hopes of lifting her second title on clay this year melted into thin air after she withdrew midway into her last-eight clash against Coco Gauff with an injury. She was leading by a set and 2-1 in the second when she pulled out. The Aussie also recorded a quarter-final finish earlier at Charleston.

Barty can demonstrate her full range in Paris, says Marion Bartoli

Asked to name her picks for the French Open crown during a virtual conversation with tennismajors.com, Marion Bartoli named the 2019 champion as her top favorite this year, saying the slow surfaces at Roland-Garros would enable the Aussie to demonstrate her full range of shots.

The 2013 Wimbledon champion said that if Barty can return fit and firing, she could be a handful for her opponents in Paris.

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“Once she gets going and she’s physically fit, her game and variety is very difficult for her opponents to counter. I think that slower pace will allow her to use all her shots,” Bartoli said.

However, she also tipped American teen tennis sensation Coco Gauff to have a strong run at Roland-Garros. “You could see a player like Coco Gauff, maybe, have a breakthrough,” Bartoli said.

Read More: “Know How to Manage It”: Ashleigh Barty Gives Her Injury Update After Retiring Mid-Match Against Coco Gauff at Italian Open 2021

Gauff, too, has had a remarkable clay-court season, recording quarter-final and semi-final finishes at Charleston and Rome before lifting both the singles and doubles titles at WTA Parma.