Some tennis players make comebacks because they need the money, others because they miss the adrenaline of competition. But for Marion Bartoli, the 2013 Wimbledon champion, next week’s return is about rediscovering peace of mind.

Bartoli – who is due to play a Tie Break Tens event in New York on Monday alongside the Williams sisters – has hardly enjoyed a peaceful retirement since she quit the tour four-and-a-half years ago. She has endured an abusive relationship with an (unnamed) boyfriend, as well as suffering such dramatic weight loss that she was banned from participating in the “Legends” event at Wimbledon in 2016 in case her heart failed.

But tennis is Bartoli’s first love, and in the coming weeks she will return to the game that gives her security. The court is the one place the demons cannot reach.

“Psychologically I suffer very much from different issues, most of them personal,” Bartoli told Telegraph Sport in an exclusive interview. “It’s been a very difficult part of my life. Some days are tougher than others but tennis makes me happy.

“I feel confident between those lines. That’s why I wanted to come back again as a pro. I wanted to feel positive for my mental health, to succeed and achieve things. That’s why this comeback goes beyond a simple love of the game. I think it will help me recover, psychologically.”