I can “still compete with the best in the world,Bartoli

Former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli says she can “still compete with the best in the world” as she prepares to return to the WTA tour.

Bartoli, who retired from tennis in 2013, announced on Tuesday that she would be making a comeback.

The Frenchwoman said she would not play events until she is “fully ready” but “can’t wait” to return.

“I think at 33 you can still perform on the tennis court for quite some time,” Bartoli told BBC World Service Sport.

“I think Serena and Venus Williams are the perfect example.

“Venus has been able to play two Grand Slam finals this year, Serena is coming back next year and I think they both say they want to play up until the Olympics in Tokyo in 2020 so I think I’m definitely not too old for that.”

Venus, the older of the Williams sisters at 37, is currently ranked fifth in the world, 15 years after she reached a career-high of number one. She played in this year’s WTA Finals for the first time since 2010, losing in the final to Caroline Wozniacki, and topped the prize money list for the year.

Serena won this year’s Australian Open – her 23rd Grand Slam singles title – at the age of 36, while pregnant, and has entered the 2018 tournament, after giving birth to a daughter in September.