Venus Williams won her fourth Wimbledon title on Saturday with a laboured 6-4, 6-1 win over Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli in a final which will not be remembered for scintillating tennis.

Venus was one of the favourites at the start of the tournament, and although there were a number of other players who were also earmarked as possible title contenders, there was little surprise that she, as 23rd seed, was the one to make it -- bang on schedule despite the rain -- to the final.

Bartoli was very much the surprise packet, and her stunning victories over Justine Henin in Friday's semi and Jelena Jankovic in the last-16 showed that she had justified her place in the final.

'As things stand, Bartoli's game is not good enough to win a Grand Slam. She brings no outstanding shots to the court'

The fact that nobody gave the affable Frenchwoman any hope of defeating a far more experienced and powerful opponent did not deter Bartoli from putting up a very good fight. But sadly, that is all it was.

As things stand, Bartoli's game is not good enough to win a Grand Slam. She brings no outstanding shots to the court when facing the world's leading players and having watched her earlier in the tournament, I certainly would not have expected her to get to the final. She is a worthy top-20 player, but there is still a major chasm between the top 20 and the top five.

Despite her shortcomings (short when comparing her to the towering Venus), Bartoli plugs away with a steely determination which for so many players is the substitute for great shot-making. But she will have to improve markedly if she wants to be considered a favourite on the faster surfaces in future Grand Slams.