Mystery illness inspired comeback, claims Bartoli

PARIS - Former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli said on Wednesday that she first considered making a professional comeback while suffering from a mystery illness last year.

The Frenchwoman was forced to pull out of an exhibition event at Wimbledon last year because of the virus, which medical experts said was so rare they had no name for it.

But on Tuesday Bartoli announced that she would return to the WTA Tour in 2018, aiming to be ready for the Miami Open in March, after recovering from the illness which caused dramatic weight loss in a matter of months.